Dr Ralph Holme, biomedical research manager at the RNID, the charity for deaf and hard-of-hearing people, welcomed the research.

BBC: NEWS | Health | Hope for better baby hearing test

Intrigued, I asked Dr Ralph Harrington, of the Volcanism Blog about the possibilities of prodding a supervolcano into apocalyptic activity.

FORBES: Predicting The Supervolcano (Or, We're All Going To Die? It Must Be Tuesday)

Environmental and climate work led by Dr Ralph Fyfe, and further archaeological work continues at the site, with the MoD and Dartmoor National Park helping with the removal of samples.

BBC: Stone row sheds new light on Dartmoor prehistoric life