Hearing loss can affect balance and make falls more likely

Hearing loss is linked with brain volume reductions

The brain looks different as a result of hearing loss, with reductions in brain volume overall and in specific areas, and these changes are hypothesized to impact cognition. Exactly why hearing loss alters cognition is an active area of research, but theories include that the elevated cognitive load of straining to hear affects brain power available for thinking and memory and that hearing loss leads to social isolation which boosts dementia risk.

Untreated hearing loss is linked with dementia risk

Hearing loss does not cause dementia, but it does increase the risk of developing dementia and research suggests that people who wear hearing aids for age-related hearing loss also maintain better brain function than those who don't.

One decibel of hearing loss increases tinnitus risk by 6% for older people

That's according to an analysis of more than 18,000 people published in BMC Medicine in 2023. The tinnitus risk is not just limited to older people: The research also concluded that one decibel of hearing loss increases the risk of developing tinnitus among young adults by 3 percent.

Mapping hearing loss in the US

Nearly 10% of Americans suffer from some degree of hearing loss, measured as the inability to hear sounds lower than 25 decibels. The incidence of hearing loss increases with age and is typically higher among men. Recent analysis produced a puzzling observation researchers can't quite explain: There's a larger incidence of hearing loss among rural populations than in urban centers. Explore the data with this map and explainer.

More than 5% of the world's population has disabling hearing loss

Disabling hearing loss is defined as hearing loss greater than 35 decibels in the better hearing ear. (For context, that means the sound of leaves rustling, at roughly 30 decibels, would be inaudible even to your better-hearing ear.) The World Health Organization's data suggests that more than 5% of the world's population has this level of loss requiring rehabilitation, which amounts to 430 million people—including 34 million children.

Watch how your nervous system's efforts to process silence can contribute to tinnitus

Cochlear cells can be damaged in numerous ways, including aging or exposure to loud noise. If enough cells die, the auditory system can become less sensitive, prompting the brain to compensate by amplifying sound, which is likely to contribute to tinnitus.

Age-related hearing loss, known as presbycusis, is a top cause of hearing loss

This video walks through the biology of why presbycusis (prez-buh-kyoo-sis) occurs and its etiology. This type of hearing loss is gradual and typically starts with reductions in the ability to hear high-pitched sounds.

An ear doctor with hearing loss seeks to help those with hearing loss enjoy music

Alex Chern, an ear doctor who has hearing loss himself, dreams of restoring the ability to experience "all the richness and the beauty of the sound of music" for patients—not just functional hearing. Hearing aids amplify sound waves and aren't designed to work well with music that may have varied pitch and volume. Chern is studying how hearing loss and engaging with music may affect cognitive decline.

See what loud noises do to inner ear hair cells

This animation illustrates how louder music can affect inner ear hair cells. Damage to these cells is generally considered permanent. Hearing protection like ear plugs can reduce the level of sound entering into the ear and help protect those cells.

Steps for buying your first hearing aids

Hearing aids have advanced in aesthetics, simplicity, and cost in recent years, but acquiring them can be daunting for first-timers. Experts suggest finding a high-quality audiologist and knowing your rights with medical services. They also recommend buying them sooner rather than later, as hearing issues can compound and grow more costly over time.

Eating too much salt can worsen vertigo

High salt intake can cause fluid retention in the inner ear, worsening vertigo. Slashing sodium amounts (and caffeine and alcohol consumption) are particularly recommended for those suffering from Ménière's disease to help stabilize inner ear fluid levels.

External factors, not aging itself, lead to sleep loss in older adults

Though it is often believed that people need less sleep as they age, the recommended sleep guidelines for all adult age groups are almost identical. However, factors such as medication use, lack of physical activity, and loneliness can lead to sleep problems, and thereby lead older people to believe that they actually need less sleep than they do.

Misfired motor signals may explain why many people with schizophrenia hear voices

Up to 80% of schizophrenia patients may have auditory hallucinations. Recent research concluded that this symptom may be from misfired motor signals that feed into each other, essentially failing to suppress certain sensory neural activities and that resulting overexcitment fuels hallucinations. The finding suggests that, one day, magnetic pulses might be used to stimulate specific nerves to better regulate the errant signals and reduce or stop hallucinations. (Some users may encounter a paywall.)

Alzheimer's can lead to brain shrinkage, with an average of around 2% of volume reduction per year

The side effects of falling back and springing forward

Daylight saving time can interfere with a person’s sleep schedule, but it also has been linked to increased rates of depression, heart attack, stroke, cancer, and car accidents. UT Southwestern’s Dr. Joseph Takahashi explains why the time change is bad for your brain and health.

The science behind why some noises have color names

Different noise colors (white, brown, pink, blue) have been proven to affect mood and focus. An audiologist explains that these sounds are named after specific light wave frequencies. While individual preferences vary, certain noises consistently impact sleep, stress reduction, cognitive performance, and problem-solving. The article highlights how these sounds can enhance productivity, relaxation, and even gaming experiences.

Some animals possess sensitive hearing to help pinpoint prey and map the world

Bats and dolphins produce sound to reflect off surfaces and create a mental image of their surroundings. Owls' faces are dish-shaped to help funnel sounds to their ears, including that of mice moving along leaves or snow. Pinnipeds, such as seals and walruses, hear in both air and water.

Women experience heightened bone loss after menopause

Both women and men begin to lose some bone density after age 35, on average, but for the first decade after menopause women lose bone more rapidly due to the significantly decreased levels of estrogen, putting women at heightened risk of osteoporosis and related bone fractures.

Modern sound mixing has contributed to audiences needing subtitles

Hidden, high-tech microphones allow actors to speak more softly, rather than yelling to be picked up by a distant boom mic, but this sacrifices clarity. The problem is exacerbated by mixing often prioritizing booming sound effects and soundtracks and audiences listening with small speakers on mobile devices.

When to see a doctor over memory lapses

Memory includes various, distinct functions, like working memory (storing information temporarily) and procedural memory (your body's ability to perform a task unconsciously). Forgetting a word or losing your keys can feel like red flag memory lapses, but they are, in fact, language or attention problems, not memory ones. However, a lapse on top of stress, lack of sleep, chronic dysfunction, or an injury may be a red flag to see your doctor.

Why you may hate the sound of your voice

It's a relatively common experience to cringe while listening to a recording of your own voice. This Popular Science article offers physiological explanations for the discrepancy between what we hear when we speak versus what others hear. The piece also expands on the psychology behind this discontent, and how our voices influence our self-perception and social interactions.

How Alzheimer’s disease becomes fatal

Despite more than 100,000 people with Alzheimer's dying each year, the specific cause of death is not the disease itself. Often, secondary diseases arise from complications with the disease, including pneumonia, severe falls, malnutrition, or infection. Read more about the range of complications caused by Alzheimer’s here.

Narcolepsy occurs when the brain loses its ability to control its sleep-wake cycle

Narcolepsy not only makes people fall asleep at random moments, but it can also cause hallucinations, insomnia, and sleep paralysis. The disorder is tied to cells in the brain’s hypothalamus called hypocretin, which are neuropeptides responsible for keeping you awake and controlling your dreaming from coming on too quickly.

The trend of onstage mishaps

In the past few years, performers have seen a rise in onstage accidents. While artists are doing their jobs, they face risks of dangerous falls, flying objects, and audience aggression. This article aims to explain why this trend may be occurring and emphasizes the importance of concert-going etiquette and adequate security.

Lack of Vitamin D seems to be one major factor fueling MS risk

Researchers believe that a combination of factors can elevate MS risk, including a lack of vitamin D exposure in different locales, genetic history, cigarette smoke exposure, and Epstein-Barr virus infection.

Grip strength predicts death better than blood pressure

In a study covering about 140,000 people across 17 countries, scientists found that for every 5 kilogram drop in adults' grip strength, it raised the risk of death by 16%. Grip strength, the research found, was a stronger predictor of cardiovascular death than systolic blood pressure.

Studies suggest when you sleep is as important as how much you get, and syncing with your circadian rhythms may lead to less fatigue and improved long-term health outcomes

Fish populations in the Great Barrier Reef have increased after installing waterproof speakers on the ocean floor that played recordings of sounds from healthy coral reefs.

A pickleball's loud 'pop' sound can reach 120 decibels, which is equivalent to a hammer hitting a nail

Listen to an in-depth conversation on the links between Parkinson's disease and herbicide exposure and the challenging pace of scientific investigation.

About 2,000 US babies are born annually without some portion of their limbs, potentially leading to a lifetime of pricey prosthetics.

11 people died from firework injuries in the US in 2024.

After 25 people used virtual reality headsets to practice flying with virtual wings—flapping their arms—their visual cortex responded to the wings almost as if they were real arms, treating them as body parts.

Ebola infects and disables immune cells, triggering a cascade of events that leads to small blood clots throughout the body, weakening blood vessels and interrupting blood flow to key organs.

For centuries, Niagara Falls has been a magnet for daredevils seeking to conquer one of nature's most powerful wonders, with its 200-foot drop and water rushing at 32 feet per second with 280 tons of force.

US consumers collectively owe more than $1T to credit card companies—almost as much as they owe in auto loans.

Some renewable energy sources may weaken the resiliency of electric grids by removing outage buffers provided by coal- and natural gas-fired plants, which provide the system with more time to find a new power source if a plant goes down.

Poison ivy will likely become both larger and more resilient due to climate change.

Hookworm infection, though risky, may help fight certain autoimmune conditions by tamping down the immune system's inflammatory response.

The boiling temperature of water decreases with increasing elevation because the molecules need less energy to overcome the lower atmospheric pressure associated with thinner air.

Animal phobias are likely the most common type of phobias, followed by an extreme fear of heights.

Hedge funds, the private investment firms that trade a wide swath of financial assets, make money by imposing steep fees on investors and from the fund's investment performance.

In 1939, baseball star Lou Gehrig delivered his inspirational 'Luckiest Man' speech after retiring due to the health condition that now bears his name.

Chaos theory—informally known as the butterfly effect—is the reason why weather forecasts are presented with probabilities rather than certainties.

In 2026, Finland was named the world's happiest country for the ninth consecutive year based on its wealth, social safety network, and high life expectancy, among other factors.

Clever Hans was a 1900s horse that was believed to be able to solve math equations, tell time, and read and comprehend German, until a psychology student discovered how he got his answers.

While the sun's gravity keeps the planets in orbit, their gravity also pulls on the sun, causing it and everything else in the solar system to orbit around a mutual balance point called the barycenter—the true center of the solar system.

A Yale student wrote a profound essay about the consulting industry's influence on elite college students that was published in a book of her writing after she died in a post-graduation car accident.

Frank Lloyd Wright's houses are historically hard to sell because they're old, subject to local landmark commissions, and often unfashionable

A century of Billboard issues documenting the evolution of popular music.