Belting out a few notes on key might take years of practice, and perfect pitch might take the right genetics, but when it comes to telling noise from symphony, speech from music, all ears are equal — or so it was once thought.But in a new study, scientists have found that the left and right ears process sound differently. The right ear responds more to speech, while the left ear is more attuned to music, according to the study, published in Science on September 10.The findings could have substantial implications for deaf people who need cochlear hearing devices, which are implanted in only one ear, said Dr Yvonne Sininger, a visiting professor of head and neck surgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, and lead author of the study.With researchers at the University of Arizona, Sininger tested hearing ability in thousands of infants using miniature microphones that emitted sounds in the subjects’ ears and measured amplification. Tiny cells respond to sound by expanding and contracting to enhance vibrations, which are then converted to nerve impulses. Sininger found that rapid clicks — like speech — produced a greater response in the right ear. The left seemed more attuned to tones representing music. — (NYT)
