/oss/taxonomy/term/3073/all en /oss/article/critical-thinking-student-contributors/dont-believe-everything-you-hear-especially-when-it-comes-magical-solutions-hearing-loss <p>In the first 20 minutes of the movie <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/19/movies/sound-of-metal-review.html"><i>Sound of Metal</i></a>, the audience watches a young musician lose his hearing. As the background buzz of car motors, conversation, and birdsong fades to silence, we see the musician become confused, frustrated, and isolated. Hearing is integral to many of our lives, and the idea of losing hearing is overwhelming and frightening, especially for those unfamiliar with sign language and the Deaf community.</p> Fri, 19 May 2023 14:35:39 +0000 Maya McKeown, B.Sc. 9513 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know-general-science/rocks-your-head-sort <p>Sometimes called “ear rocks”, small crystals of calcium carbonate (essentially limestone) are found in your inner ear. The technical name for these tiny stones wrapped in a matrix of protein is “otoconia.” They play no role in hearing, but rather are part of the vestibular system that has several functions such as helping you keep your balance and coordinating your eye movements while your head is in motion.<br /> <br /></p> Fri, 02 Oct 2020 15:00:29 +0000 Caitlin Bard, OSS Intern 8434 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know-nutrition/you-can-determine-colour-egg-looking-chickens-earlobe <p>Yes, that's right. Chickens do have ears although they are hidden by the feathers on the side of the head. But when the feathers are pushed aside, the openings that serve as ears appear. There is no outer ear, such as we humans have, but chickens do have earlobes which can be clearly seen. The colour of the lobe varies with the breed of the chicken, ranging from white to almost black. Chickens with white earlobes lay white eggs exclusively while birds with dark lobes lay brown eggs. The fascinating Araucana breed of chickens can even have earlobes that are a pale green or blue colour.</p> Thu, 18 Apr 2019 19:35:12 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 7725 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know/tinies-bodies-giant-ears-rabbits-have-super-specialized-physiologies <p><span>We’ve already seen that rabbits and hares have quite interesting physiology, but for certain species of </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leporidae">leporidae</a> the adaptations get even more extreme.</p> <p><span>The smallest rabbit in existence is the </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pygmy_rabbit">pygmy rabbit</a>, who weighs on average only 450 grams! They’re found in the western US and are one of the only rabbit species who dig their own burrows, as opposed to repurposing the found burrows of other animals.</p> Fri, 30 Mar 2018 21:54:33 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 6983 at /oss