Features
Aural History
Geoffrey A. Manley | Sep 1, 2015
The form and function of the ears of modern land vertebrates cannot be understood without knowing how they evolved.
Hearing Help
Kate Yandell | Sep 1, 2015
For decades, the only remedies for hearing loss were devices such as hearing aids or cochlear implants. Now, the first pharmaceutical treatments may be on the way.
The Great Big Clean-Up
Kerry Grens | Sep 1, 2015
From tossing out cross-contaminated cell lines to flagging genomic misnomers, a push is on to tidy up biomedical research.
Contributors
Contributors
Contributors
Meet some of the people featured in the September 2015 issue of The Scientist.
Editorial
Hear and Now
Hear and Now
Auditory research advances worth shouting about
Speaking of Science
Speaking of Science
Speaking of Science
September 2015's selection of notable quotes
Notebook
Lending an Ear
Lending an Ear
Until recently, auditory brainstem implants have been restricted to patients with tumors on their auditory nerves.
Musical Scales
Musical Scales
The quest to document an ancient sea creature reveals a cyclical chorus of fish songs.
The Upside
The Upside
Researchers explore the benefits of hearing loss and impairment.
Handicapable
Handicapable
Meet Tilak Ratnanather, the deaf biomedical engineer who mentors hard-of-hearing students headed for STEM careers.
Critic at Large
Hurdles for Hearing Restoration
Hurdles for Hearing Restoration
Given the diverse cell types and complex structure of the human inner ear, will researchers ever be able to re-create it?
Body, Heal Thyself
Body, Heal Thyself
Reviving a decades-old hypothesis of autoimmunity
Modus Operandi
Inner Ear Cartography
Inner Ear Cartography
Scientists map the position of cells within the organ of Corti.
The Basics
Human Hearing: A Primer
Human Hearing: A Primer
How the human ear translates sound waves into nervous impulses
The Literature
Hearing Discrepancy Probed
Hearing Discrepancy Probed
Common in vitro experiments have distorted the true mechanics of mammalian hair cell stereocilia.
The Regenerators
The Regenerators
A molecular signature makes it possible to trace the details of hair cell replacement in the mammalian inner ear.
Inner Ear Undertakers
Inner Ear Undertakers
Support cells in the inner ear respond differently to two drugs that kill hair cells.
Profile
The Ears Have It
The Ears Have It
A teaching obligation in graduate school introduced James Hudspeth to a career focused on how vertebrates sense sounds.
Scientist to Watch
Khaleel Razak: Hearing Engineer
Khaleel Razak: Hearing Engineer
Associate Professor, Department of Psychology University of California, Riverside. Age: 44
Lab Tools
Compatible Company
Compatible Company
A guide to culturing cells with viruses in mind
Orchestrating Organoids
Orchestrating Organoids
A guide to crafting tissues in a dish that reprise in vivo organs
Bio Business
The Sounds of Silence
The Sounds of Silence
Science-based tinnitus therapeutics are finally coming into their own.
Reading Frames
Do Mine Ears Deceive Me?
Do Mine Ears Deceive Me?
A new approach shows how both honesty and deception are stable features of noisy communication.
Capsule Reviews
Capsule Reviews
Capsule Reviews
Brain Storms, Orphan, Maize for the Gods, and Paranoid.
Foundations
Whaling Specimens, 1930s
Whaling Specimens, 1930s
Fetal specimens collected by commercial whalers offer insights into how whales may have evolved their specialized hearing organs.