Ears | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/ears/RSS feed for EarsenTue, 28 Apr 2026 15:44:33 +0000Worried Your House Is Haunted? The Spooky Sensation Might Arise From a Surprisingly Simple Sourcehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/worried-your-house-is-haunted-the-spooky-sensation-might-arise-from-a-surprisingly-simple-source-180988622/Infrasound—noise below the range of typical human hearing—from power, heating and mechanical systems within buildings can make people feel irritated and induce a stress response, according to a new studyTue, 28 Apr 2026 15:44:33 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/worried-your-house-is-haunted-the-spooky-sensation-might-arise-from-a-surprisingly-simple-source-180988622/Can a Medical Device Restore Your Balance?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/can-medical-device-restore-your-balance-180986804/Nearly two million people worldwide have lost the simple ability to feel steady. Now researchers have developed an experimental medical implant that promises to restore the sensory machinery responsible for balanceWed, 02 Jul 2025 11:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/can-medical-device-restore-your-balance-180986804/Why Do Mammals Have Outer Ears? Scientists Are Getting Closer to Solving the Mysteryhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-do-mammals-have-outer-ears-scientists-are-getting-closer-to-solving-the-mystery-180985884/Two new studies offer insights into the evolution and development of external ears, which appear in humans and other mammals but aren't found in reptiles, birds or amphibiansThu, 23 Jan 2025 17:22:26 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-do-mammals-have-outer-ears-scientists-are-getting-closer-to-solving-the-mystery-180985884/Neanderthal Child May Have Had Down Syndrome, Fossil Suggestshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/neanderthal-child-may-have-had-down-syndrome-fossil-suggests-180984619/The child's survival until at least 6 years old could be evidence of collaborative caregiving in Neanderthal societies, according to a new paperThu, 27 Jun 2024 21:14:53 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/neanderthal-child-may-have-had-down-syndrome-fossil-suggests-180984619/This Handheld Device Allows Blind People to Experience the Solar Eclipse With Their Earshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-handheld-device-allows-blind-people-to-experience-the-solar-eclipse-with-their-ears-180984062/The technology, which translates the intensity of sunlight into a range of sounds, was designed to make eclipses more accessible to visually impaired peopleMon, 01 Apr 2024 20:11:53 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-handheld-device-allows-blind-people-to-experience-the-solar-eclipse-with-their-ears-180984062/We Can Hear Silence Like a Sound, Scientists Sayhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/we-can-hear-silence-like-a-sound-scientists-say-180982512/In a study, participants were tricked by "silence illusions" in the same way that illusions with sound fool the brainWed, 12 Jul 2023 18:01:40 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/we-can-hear-silence-like-a-sound-scientists-say-180982512/The First 'A.I. Lawyer' Will Help Defendants Fight Speeding Ticketshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-first-ai-lawyer-will-help-defendants-fight-speeding-tickets-180981508/Two people equipped with Bluetooth earpieces will repeat to a judge what the robot tells themThu, 26 Jan 2023 17:18:45 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-first-ai-lawyer-will-help-defendants-fight-speeding-tickets-180981508/Are AirPods the Hearing Aids of the Future?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/are-airpods-the-hearing-aids-of-the-future-180981137/New research suggests that personal sound amplification products like earbuds may help some people hear better in certain scenariosThu, 17 Nov 2022 16:49:32 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/are-airpods-the-hearing-aids-of-the-future-180981137/FDA Approves Over-the-Counter Hearing Aidshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/fda-approves-over-the-counter-hearing-aids-180980603/A new rule could save consumers $2,800 on a pair of hearing aids, officials sayThu, 18 Aug 2022 16:24:13 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/fda-approves-over-the-counter-hearing-aids-180980603/Surgeons Transplant 3-D-Printed Ear Made From Patient’s Own Cellshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/surgeons-transplant-3d-printed-ear-made-from-patients-own-cells-180980196/The 3-D printed implant is the first made from living tissueFri, 24 Jun 2022 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/surgeons-transplant-3d-printed-ear-made-from-patients-own-cells-180980196/