A team of Israeli, Palestinian and American researchers have identified the mutation causing loss of hearing of a Jewish man living in Mosul, Iraq over 2,000 years ago. This mutation was passed down to some of his descendants over generations and in the 1950’s, his family immigrated to Israel. This study appeared in the scientific journal proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Prof. Keren Avraham, a geneticist from Tel Aviv University and one of the leading researchers on the team, explains that the hearing loss caused by the mutation began when the male was in his late 20’s.