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Why do we lose our hearing when we get older? – David, 10, Wisconsin

Dear David,

I love visiting with my grandcat. But sometimes I have to talk loudly so she can hear me.

I asked my friend Christine Portfors why that is. She’s a biologist at Washington State University.

She told me it’s all about the hair cells inside our ears.

They aren’t really hairs. They’re sensory cells. Hair cells have tiny, bristle-like tufts that stick out—called cilia—that look a little bit like hairs.

Those hair cells are why we can hear.

First, sounds funnel into our ears. They bonk into the ear drum and make it vibrate. Then, three itty, bitty bones make those … » More …

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How do fish hear? — Lamarcus, 8, Ohio

Dear Lamarcus,

My goldfish roommate hates when people tap on his tank. The tapping sound he hears in the water is loud and scary.

I talked with my friend Rikeem Sholes about how fish hear. He’s a fish scientist. He studies salmon hearing at Washington State University.

He told me that a fish’s hearing system includes sensory cells in the inner ear and in a line along the outside of the fish’s body and head. Some fish also use their swim bladder to have super hearing.

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