How does the ear work? Detailed answer

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How does the ear work? Detailed answer

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How does the ear work?

The ear is one of the most interesting instruments of our body. It can perceive both the quiet ticking of a clock and deafening explosions.

However, more than one ear gives us such a wonderful opportunity. The process of "hearing" begins with sound. Vibrations in the air, called sound waves, hit the eardrum of our ear. We cannot see or feel these waves, but the ear is so sensitive that the slightest vibration is picked up and transmitted to the brain. Only then do we really hear the sound.

The ear is made up of three main parts: the outer ear, the middle ear, and the inner ear. Some animals can extend their outer ear in order to hear better. But people do just fine without it.

When sound waves enter the outer ear, they continue down the external auditory canal. At its end is thin skin, tightly stretched across. It separates the outer ear from the middle ear and is called the tympanic membrane. On the inside is a short tube called the "Eustachian tube" that leads to the larynx. This provides the same pressure as atmospheric pressure on the eardrum from the side of the middle ear cavity. Otherwise, the membrane could be torn due to the loud sound.

Behind the tympanic membrane in the middle ear are three small auditory ossicles called the hammer, anvil, and stirrup. They connect the tympanic membrane to an elastic membrane that tightens the oval window of the inner ear. Sound waves, reaching the outer ear, move along the ear canal and cause the eardrum to vibrate. The auditory ossicles in turn amplify and transmit vibrations to the oval window of the inner ear. This causes the fluid that fills the concha of the inner ear, or cochlea as it is also called, to vibrate. Its tiny cells perceive sound with special nerves. They transmit the received signal to the brain, where it is processed, and only after that we "hear".

There are also three semicircular canals in the inner ear, which are not related to hearing. They are also filled with fluid and are responsible for the sense of balance. If they are out of order, damaged, we feel dizzy and cannot move normally.

Author: Likum A.

Random interesting fact from the Great Encyclopedia:

Do eels crawl on the ground?

Eels are fish, but still some of the freshwater eels crawl out onto the ground! Like all other fish, eels have a backbone, they live in water and breathe with gills. Most types of eels live in the seas. Some species spend most of their lives in fresh waters, but they also live in the sea for some time. All eels spawn in salt water. It is in order to be able to do this that they have to crawl out onto land.

Freshwater eels often have to travel long distances to spawn. To reach the salt water, some of them have to travel part of the way on land, avoiding dikes or dams or other obstacles on their way to the sea. While they are on land, the mucus on their body helps them breathe through their skin and prevents destructive drying. You are unlikely to see eels on land as they make these transitions at night. But you can find them in barrels and ponds that are away from running water.

The eels that you will see away from the rivers are female. Male eels are smaller than females, usually no more than 0,3-0,5 meters in length. They can be found closer to the sea, in slightly brackish water. The females join the males and they head towards the sea together. By this time, they should work up fat and gain strength, because the path to the place where they themselves were born is a long one. In autumn, they leave coastal waters and travel hundreds of miles until they reach the calm and deep waters southeast of Bermuda. This place is known as the Sargasso Sea. Here they spawn and die.

It is also interesting that freshwater eels from Europe also come here to spawn. They swim across the ocean to spawn here! When fry emerge from the eggs, the Gulf Stream will carry them to the east. After two and a half to three years, the fry reach the mouths of European rivers, where they turn into young eels, and their bodies become similar to those of adults.

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