Listen To Those Brids

In a recent article by Randy Dotinga on Wired Magazine, he reports that a stem-cell approach to curing deafness could be the answer.

Discussed at the American Association for the Advancement of Science, where Dotinga says "the stem-cell approach involves restoring the tiny 'hair cells' in the ear that convert sound into electrical impulses. When the cells die, people permanently lose their hearing. Bringing back the cells through stem-cell transplants, along with a shock of electricity, could restore hearing, scientists say."

Dotinga also says scientists are studying birds, who never lost their hearing, to see what "secret genetic recipe for warding off hearing loss" birds have.