They are divided into three portions: the outer ear, the middle ear, and the inner ear. Each has an intricate structure of bones, nerves, and muscles. Just like other parts of the body, the ears can ...

This division of labor is unique to the inner ear because the function of the principal cells relies on chemical energy provided by other cells. In virtually all other systems, whether it is heart ...

These auricular muscles helped change the shape of the pinna, or the shell of the ear, funneling sound to the eardrums. Millions of years ago, our ancestors stopped using them, so humans ...

He then went on to talk about other physical abilities that not everyone has, saying: "Others can control their eye movements ...

Medical specialists share the most common causes of dizziness and vertigo, plus health warning signs that require immediate ...

Neglecting balance may have big consequences – while it isn’t always a straightforward predictor of longevity, some research ...

Most of these cancers start in the skin of the outer ear. Cancers that develop inside the ear, known as the middle and inner ear, are rare. The outer ear is the part of the ear we can see. It protects ...

These muscles, called auricular muscles, alter the shape of the pinna (the ear’s shell). They are considered vestigial, which means that they have become basically useless to humans over the course of ...

Summary: Humans have vestigial ear muscles that once helped our ancestors focus on sounds. New research shows these muscles still activate when we strain to hear in noisy environments. Scientists used ...

An older man presses his fingers to the side of his head, next to his ear. To test whether humans still use auricular muscles — which once helped move our primate ancestors’ ears to funnel sound — ...

They explained that the muscles helped change the shape of the pinna, or the shell of the ear, funneling sound to the eardrums. Millions of years ago, our ancestors stopped using them, so humans ...