The human ear is an engineering marvel. This tiny organ has the intricate workings of the most sophisticated microphone, telephone wiring system, and balancing mechanism known to man. Sound waves enter the ear and pass along a tube to the middle ear. Stretched across this tube is a thin membrane called the eardrum. As the sound waves vibrate this thin tissue, the vibrations move into the middle ear, where they move three small bones. Tiny muscles attached to the bones amplify the movement and allow the bones to pass the vibrations to another membrane called the oval window. This generates movement within a small liquid-filled spiral passage called the cochlea. The cochlea is filled with 25,000 auditory receptors that pick up the vibrations and transform them into electrical impulses. These impulses are sent by way of the auditory nerve to the brain. The brain receives up to 25,000 auditory signals per second and interprets them as voices, thunder, music, or a million other sounds.
Besides hearing, the ear also gives us our sense of balance. The cochlea is connected to three tubes called the semicircular canals. They are partially filled with fluids that move whenever the head moves. Nerve endings from these canals are also connected to the brain; and this, in cooperation with our muscles, allows us to balance properly. The ear's marvelously designed and coordinated workings demonstrate the incredible planning of a Master Designer.
From A Closer Look at the Evidence by Kleiss, August 10.
