TECHNICAL DESK

DOCTORS ACROSS AUSTRALIA have been reporting a strange phenomenon: teenagers with what appears to be a third ear.

“It’s a little growth on the bone below the right ear usually, though some have been found below the left,” says Dr Aural Kanal. “It’s got a cartilage rim, and the bone itself can vibrate. And right in the centre, barely detectable, is an ear drum. It’s remarkable really.”

Scientists who have studied the ears, say they believe it may well be a sudden evolution, brought on by overuse of mobile phones.

“Kids going to sleep with mobile phones at their ears can be exposed to the devices all night,” commented research scientist Rex Integer, “which means that some days they are on their phones for 24 hours solid. And it’s changing them. It’s an extraordinary development. Darwin would be astounded.”

“Most kids won’t even know they have this third ear,” says Dr Kanal. “but it could play havoc with their auditory senses. We just don’t know. The two ears we have now are well balanced and complementary, and our brains is designed around them. A third ear is likely to disrupt the ability to take in sound. You might get sentences being interrupted by another voice, musical pieces playing over themselves, a kind of permanent crowd noise. Chaos. Already there is some indication that it can affect mental health. I’d say, get ready to deal with a lot more crazy teenagers complaining of hearing voices in their heads. Those damn phones. Litigation can’t be far off.”