Barn owls don't lose their hearing with age, scientists find
by Press Association from Environment | The Guardian on (#32ND9)
Findings leave researchers hopeful that understanding hearing preservation in birds could lead to new treatment possibilities for deaf humans
If ageing humans had ears like those of barn owls they would never need hearing aids, scientists have shown.
The birds, whose sensitivity to sound helps them locate prey, suffer no hearing loss as they get older. Like other birds - but unlike mammals, including humans - they are able to regenerate cells in their inner ears.
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