Tinnitus has been bothering humanity since Ancient Babylon, plaguing everyone from Leonardo da Vinci to Charles Darwin. Today, roughly one in seven people worldwide experiences this auditory sensation. So what exactly is tinnitus, and where does this persistent sound come from? Marc Fagelson travels into the auditory system to explore the loss of silence. [Directed by Zedem Media, narrated by Addison Anderson].

Marc Fagelson: What's that ringing in your ears?

What's that ringing in your ears?

Tinnitus, a phantom ringing, affects 1 in 7 globally, illuminating our brain's struggle to distinguish silence from sound.

Damage from loud noises or aging can lessen cochlear cell function, leading the brain to amplify its baseline neural activity.

Experiencing tinnitus is akin to overhearing your brain’s internal dialogue, a persistent phantom sound without an external source.