ear damage?

[Myitt]

What were Yeerk thermoses? Was it as bad as the yeerk-in-cellphones episode?

Yes.  Yes it was.  And it was in like, every other episode x3

[zaprowsdower]

It just occurred to me, would Yeerks show up in x-rays? And if so, what would controller doctors do about it?

[MoppingBear]

It just occurred to me, would Yeerks show up in x-rays? And if so, what would controller doctors do about it?

they probably dont have bones, and thus wouldnt show up.  MRIs would probably catch them, but a yeerk would just not get one.  What do they care if the host gets brain damage / dies?

[INH]

Yeah, conventional x-ray screenings aren't good at detecting anything softer than bone.  Given how "stretchy" yeerks are, if they have any bones or other hard bits, they're really small.  A yeerk would be really faint on an x-ray, and probably indistinguishable from normal brain tissue.  They might show up on a CT scan, but they would still be hard to identify.  But I agree that they would probably be visible on an MRI.

[.: Asmo]

Honestly, why would a controller even go to the hospital unless it was ran by controllers? (Therefore, why care what shows up?) The Yeerks have human and alien science and capabilities to care for their own if they need to. Or the Yeerk would simply let the host die and they would be issued a new host. No big deal.

As for the Yeerk being able to enter the ear, in one of the books it said the Yeerk releases a mild nuro-toxin in order to cause the canal to go numb, then they break through a part of the flesh around the ear bones and enter's the cranium. From there the 3in Yeerk was able to sink into the brain's crevices and make contact with all motor and brain functions. What probably happened to the cerebral fluid was some may be pushed out of the head as it can happen in accidents. Or the Yeerk may absorb some of the fluid. K.A. was not noted for her knowledge in science or anatomy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spontaneous_cerebrospinal_fluid_leak

As for ear damage, probably a small portion of flesh was damaged. The ear bones itself though? Probably not. The only damage that may possibly occur is from damaging or rupturing the ear drum. No real ways to go around that one. There is a small hole where acoustics enter the cranium. If you don't believe me, look online at a human's skull. It's called the external acoustic meatus.
[spoiler][/spoiler]

[Tim Bruening]

Honestly, why would a controller even go to the hospital unless it was ran by controllers? (Therefore, why care what shows up?) The Yeerks have human and alien science and capabilities to care for their own if they need to. Or the Yeerk would simply let the host die and they would be issued a new host. No big deal.

As for the Yeerk being able to enter the ear, in one of the books it said the Yeerk releases a mild nuro-toxin in order to cause the canal to go numb, then they break through a part of the flesh around the ear bones and enter's the cranium. From there the 3in Yeerk was able to sink into the brain's crevices and make contact with all motor and brain functions. What probably happened to the cerebral fluid was some may be pushed out of the head as it can happen in accidents. Or the Yeerk may absorb some of the fluid. K.A. was not noted for her knowledge in science or anatomy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spontaneous_cerebrospinal_fluid_leak

As for ear damage, probably a small portion of flesh was damaged. The ear bones itself though? Probably not. The only damage that may possibly occur is from damaging or rupturing the ear drum. No real ways to go around that one. There is a small hole where acoustics enter the cranium. If you don't believe me, look online at a human's skull. It's called the external acoustic meatus.
[spoiler][/spoiler]

Why would a spoiler tag be needed for a diagram of a human head?