In a move sure to encourage youth everywhere to keep their amps cranked up… to eleven, scientists working on a cochlear implant have developed a device that can actually help “reverse the death and degeneration of hearing cells that occurs after prolonged deafness.” A small electric current releases specialized molecules that stimulate the nerve regrowth. Professor Gordon Wallace tells Australian ABC:
We inject small amounts of electricity into the structure and that causes the release of the molecules and makes them available to the nerve cells.
The polymer controls the timing of release, and where the molecules are released, to maximise interaction with nerve cells.
The implications in assisting people with severe hearing loss and nerve damage are obviously staggering, but even more importantly, the technology isn’t limited to hearing cells and nerves—they mention spinal cord repair as well. Check the ABC article for more details.
New bionic ear uses smart plastic [ABCau via Medgadget]
