3BHow Your Hearing Works 37
The scala tympani, the scala vestibuli, and the scala media are the tubes in the inner ear, and they are curved together into a shape that appears like the shell of a snail. These tubes are separated by extremely thin membranes that move the sound along the tubes, and move the pressure that is created when the stapes moves against the cochlea as a whole. The basilar membrane is made up of tiny hair cells – there are tens of thousands of them, which react to differing frequencies in the sound that is being pushed through the cochlea. The hair cells identify resonant frequencies in the sound waves that are transferred through the cochlea. These create electrical impulses that are transported to the brain and interpreted as recognizable sounds.
Scientists are still working on a thorough understanding of just how the brain is able to interpret these electrical pulses into language, music, or just plain noise. The ear is a complicated and sophisticated system, which takes an external stimulus and uses mechanical energy to transfer that information to the brain. As we learn more and more about how we hear and what we hear, the ear appears even more remarkable!
MAINTAINING BALANCE
201 3 Tinnitus Miracl e – Tho mas Co l eman- Page 37