Young people are developing horns on their skulls due to shifts in posture caused by attention to mobile technology, according to researchers.
The Washington Post reports: “New research in biomechanics suggests that young people are developing hornlike spikes at the back of their skulls — bone spurs caused by the forward tilt of the head, which shifts weight from the spine to the muscles at the back of the head, causing bone growth in the connecting tendons and ligaments. … The result is a hook or hornlike feature jutting out from the skull, just above the neck.”
The researchers say the cause of what are being called “head horns” or “phone bones” is a shift in posture due to modern techology.
“They say smartphones and other handheld devices are contorting the human form, requiring users to bend their heads forward to make sense of what’s happening on the miniature screens,” the WaPo adds. “The researchers said their discovery marks the first documentation of a physiological or skeletal adaptation to the penetration of advanced technology into everyday life.”
