http://www.physorg.com/ en-us Physorg.com internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. A gene associated with a rare form of progressive deafness in males has been identified by an international team of researchers funded by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. The gene, PRPS1, appears to be crucial in inner ear development and maintenance. The findings are published in the Dec. 17 early online issue of the American Journal of Human Genetics. http://www.physorg.com/news180277698.html Medicine & Health Thu, 17 Dec 2009 13:20:05 EST news180277698 (PhysOrg.com) -- A serendipitous discovery of deaf zebra fish larvae has helped narrow down the function of an elusive protein necessary for hearing and balance. The work, led by Rockefeller University`s A. James Hudspeth, suggests that hearing loss may arise from a faulty pathway that translates sound waves into electrical impulses the brain can understand. http://www.physorg.com/news179470963.html Medicine & Health Tue, 08 Dec 2009 05:03:48 EST news179470963 The organs of the inner ear have a direct effect on brain blood flow, independent of blood pressure and CO2 levels in the blood. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Neuroscience used a series of human centrifuge experiments to investigate the effects of stimulation of the otoliths and semi-circular canals on cerebrovascular response. http://www.physorg.com/news172894016.html Medicine & Health Wed, 23 Sep 2009 03:07:36 EST news172894016 A team led by scientists from The Scripps Research Institute has discovered a genetic cause of progressive hearing loss. The findings will help scientists better understand the nature of age-related decline in hearing and may lead to new therapies to prevent or treat the condition. http://www.physorg.com/news171203447.html Medicine & Health Thu, 03 Sep 2009 13:40:02 EST news171203447 Discovery of a deafness-causing gene defect in mice has helped identify a new protein that protects sensory cells in the ear, according to a study led by University of Iowa researchers. The findings, which also involved Kansas State University, appear in the Aug. 21 issue of the open-access journal PLoS Genetics. http://www.physorg.com/news170065521.html Medicine & Health Fri, 21 Aug 2009 09:40:04 EST news170065521 (PhysOrg.com) -- MIT engineers have built a fast, ultra-broadband, low-power radio chip, modeled on the human inner ear, that could enable wireless devices capable of receiving cell phone, Internet, radio and television signals. http://www.physorg.com/news163242050.html Technology Wed, 03 Jun 2009 10:01:26 EST news163242050 An estimated 35 percent of U.S. adults age 40 and older have vestibular dysfunction (inner ear balance disorders), and those who do may have a higher risk of falling, according to a report in the May 25 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine. http://www.physorg.com/news162487741.html Medicine & Health Mon, 25 May 2009 16:29:23 EST news162487741 The respective microRNA seed region influences the production of sensory hair cells in the inner ear, both in the mouse and in humans. The findings have been published ahead of print in the current online issue of Nature Genetics. This study represents a major step forward in elucidating the common phenomenon of progressive hearing loss, opening up new avenues for treatment. http://www.physorg.com/news160059001.html Medicine & Health Mon, 27 Apr 2009 13:50:25 EST news160059001 Scientists thought they had a good model to explain how the inner ear translates vibrations in the air into sounds heard by the brain. Now, based on new research from the Stanford University School of Medicine, it looks like parts of the model are wrong. http://www.physorg.com/news159713314.html Medicine & Health Thu, 23 Apr 2009 13:49:09 EST news159713314 In parallel studies in human and mouse, two groups of researchers have come to the same conclusion: that a new kind of gene is associated with progressive hearing loss. The new gene - called a microRNA - is a tiny fragment of RNA that affects the production of hundreds of other molecules within sensory hair cells of the inner ear. http://www.physorg.com/news158772214.html Medicine & Health Sun, 12 Apr 2009 16:24:49 EST news158772214 Researchers at the University of Leeds have made a significant step forward in understanding the causes of some forms of deafness. http://www.physorg.com/news155383453.html Medicine & Health Wed, 04 Mar 2009 10:04:49 EST news155383453 Vitamin supplements can prevent hearing loss in laboratory animals, according to two new studies, bringing investigators one step closer to the development of a pill that could stave off noise-induced and perhaps even age-related hearing loss in humans. http://www.physorg.com/news154119819.html Medicine & Health Tue, 17 Feb 2009 19:04:23 EST news154119819 The earliest known bird, the magpie-sized Archaeopteryx, had a similar hearing range to the modern emu, which suggests that the 145 million-year-old creature - despite its reptilian teeth and long tail - was more birdlike than reptilian, according to new research published today. http://www.physorg.com/news151139884.html Other Sciences Wed, 14 Jan 2009 07:18:04 EST news151139884