Rhythmic ear growth… - research indicates men's ears grow in seven-year cycles - Brief Article

Science News, Jan 11, 1997 by Steve Sternberg

Medical journals aren't known for humor, as their editors will undoubtedly concede. Sometimes, however, a study may provide some amusement, even as the findings convey intriguing information. Three entertaining reports in the Dec. 21/28 British Medical Journal (BMJ) demonstrate that its editors are not immune to levity.

First, there's an account of "Circaseptennial rhythm in ear growth." The journal's press summary offers this tantalizing peek at the article's content: "Last year's Christmas issue of BMJ showed that older men have bigger ears. This year's shows that men's ears grow in 7-year cycles."

The authors of the new report, Jos Verhulst of the Louis Bolk Institute in the Netherlands and Patrick Onghena of the University of Leuven in Belgium, contend that the notion of a 7-year rhythm in human development dates back at least to ancient Greece. Their study shows that the Greeks were on target-at least as far as the ear is concerned.

The researchers used as their starting point the raw data that produced last year's offering, "Why do old men have big ears?" by James A. Heathcote, a general practitioner at Southview Lodge in Bromley, England.

After calculating the "mean ear length" of British men at each year of age from 30 to 83, they were able to assess "mean smoothed growth rates." They found that ears reach their peak growth velocity every 7 years, then rest.

The researchers concede that important questions remain: Do the findings apply to women? To other men? Do other anatomical structures, such as the nose, follow the same pattern?