WTF: Humans Are Growing Horns + Cellphones May Be to Blame

If you listen to your parents, they'll tell you your cellphone is the devil. That may be a half truth as new research reveals humans are growing horns —yes, horns — on the back of their skulls and it appears cellphone usage is to blame (or thank if you're down with having horns of your own).

They're being nicknamed "phone bones" by some, which somehow makes this whole thing not sound nearly as cool and devilish as it did a moment ago.

Biomechanical researchers at the University of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia theorize that bone spurs seen at the base of the back of the skull are caused by frequent use of handheld devices, which finds users tilting their head forwarding during use.

This movement shifts weight from the spine to muscles in the back of the head, causing the bone growths. These spurs have been observed more prominently in young adults affect than older age groups.

Yale University's Michael Nitabach, a professor of physiology, genetics and neuroscience, disputes the claims, however. "Without knowing about the cellphone use of any of the people whose head X-rays were analyzed, it is impossible to draw conclusions about correlation between cellphone use and skull morphology," the professor commented (via Washington Post).

So if you want a free horn, keep staring at your phone. Those subdermals aren't cheap, you know.

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