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Hearing and Ear Anatomy 101
Learn more about how this vital sense works.
Anatomy of the Ears Explained
What people commonly call "The Ear" is only a tiny part of the organ that’s responsible for our hearing. At first glance, we can only see the outer ear, also called "auricle." While the ear's outer portion is essential, it's only a small part of the hearing system. Anatomically, the human hearing system includes the outer ear, middle ear, and inner ear. Your ear canal connects these three components, with all external sound running through it.
The Outer Ear
When looking at someone's ear, you see the auricle and the part of the outer ear canal that extends into the head and up to the eardrum. Your outer ear is where sound waves first arrive. From here, they’re guided inwards through the canal like a funnel. The shape of the outer ear naturally amplifies sound like a resonator. The design and natural anatomy of our ears also prevent wind from causing background noise
The Middle Ear
The area directly behind the ear drum is called the middle ear. The eardrum is a thin membrane that absorbs incoming sound waves. From there, minute oscillations are conducted to three tiny ossicles, the smallest bones in the human body. They can amplify oscillations 20-fold, guaranteeing proper conduction to the inner ear. To ventilate and qualize pressure, the so called Eustachian Tube extends from the middle ear down to the nose and throat.
The Inner Ear
The inner ear begins where the Stirrup hits the next membrane, which is called the "Oval Window." Inside the oval window is the organ of equilibrium and the cochlear. The cochlear resembles a snail shell and is about the size of a pea. It contains three canals filled with liquid. The central canal is home to the organ of Corti, the actual organ for hearing. Your inner ear plays an essential role in hearing and balance. When sound waves enter the cochlea, they’re transformed into electrical signals. Inside the cochlea, tiny hair cells move in response to the sound vibrations, triggering nerve impulses.
Signal Conduction to the Brain
Sound waves only have meaning once they're transformed into electrical signals and are sent to the brain. These signals are sent via the auditory nerve to the areas of the brain responsible for emotional assessment. When meaning is attached to tones, it’s connected to existing patterns within the brain’s cortex. This process allows us to understand speech, recognize a person’s voice, and judge hazardous situations. This is why hearing is such a vital sense.
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