Last Updated on May 15, 2035
Parts of the Ear
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The ear structures are categorized into three major parts: the external ear, the middle ear, and the inner ear (1✔ ✔Trusted Source
Parts of the Ear
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The middle ear contains three auditory ossicles (malleus, incus, and stapes), which are the smallest bones in the human body (2✔ ✔Trusted Source
Anatomy, Head and Neck, Ear Ossicles
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The cochlea is a snail-shaped structure filled with fluid in the inner ear. It contains approximately 15,000 tiny hair cells (3✔ ✔Trusted Source
Hair cells
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Sound and Hearing
- The human ear can detect sound wave frequencies ranging from 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz (4✔ ✔Trusted Source
The Audible Spectrum
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Fetal ears form around the 20th week of pregnancy and you can hear the sound during the last trimester of pregnancy (5✔ ✔Trusted Source
Fetal hearing
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Ear Wax
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Ears are self-cleaning! Earwax (cerumen) acts as a protective barrier that traps foreign particles.
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The wax present inside the ear is made up of oil and sweat (6✔ ✔Trusted Source
Ear Irrigation
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Eustachian Tube
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The Eustachian tube connects the middle ear to the throat, and it is responsible for balancing air pressure between the atmosphere and the middle ear (7✔ ✔Trusted Source
Anatomy, Head and Neck, Ear Eustachian Tube
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Nose
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Humans can detect at least one trillion different odors (8✔ ✔Trusted Source
Smell
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Gender Differences and Smell
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Women have a better sense of smell than men (9✔ ✔Trusted Source
Sex Differences in Human Olfaction: A Meta-Analysis
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During pregnancy, many women develop a stronger sense of smell (10✔ ✔Trusted Source
Pregnancy and olfaction: a review
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Newborn’s Sense of Smell
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Newborns respond to both artificial and natural odors as early as their first day of life (11✔ ✔Trusted Source
Clinical Usefulness of Maternal Odor in Newborns: Soothing and Feeding Preparatory Responses
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Within 10 seconds of birth, the baby takes the first breath (12✔ ✔Trusted Source
Changes in the newborn at birth
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Nasal Hairs
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Nasal hairs, also known as vibrissae, are found in the nostrils and help to filter inhaled particles and collect moisture (13✔ ✔Trusted Source
Nose, Nasal Cavities, & Paranasal Sinuses
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Throat
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The throat serves as a pathway for air, food, and liquid.
Vocal Folds
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The larynx (voice box) is found between the base of the tongue and the top of the trachea, which is the pathway to the lungs (14✔ ✔Trusted Source
Anatomy, Head and Neck: Larynx
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The human voice is produced by the vibration of the vocal folds, which are two muscular bands located opposite each other in the larynx (15✔ ✔Trusted Source
Mechanics of human voice production and control
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When you are not speaking, your vocal folds remain open to allow you to breathe (16✔ ✔Trusted Source
Taking Care of Your Voice
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Human Speech
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Over 100 different muscles work together to produce human speech (17✔ ✔Trusted Source
Laryngeal Motor Cortex and Control of Speech in Human
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Human speech and a bird's song have similar characterizations (18✔ ✔Trusted Source
Birdsong and human speech: common themes and mechanisms
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Whispering causes more vocal cord strain and laryngeal trauma than normal speech.
References:
- Parts of the Ear - (https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/hearingloss/parentsguide/understanding/partsoftheear.html )
- Anatomy, Head and Neck, Ear Ossicles - (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK570549)
- Hair cells - (https://www.noisyplanet.nidcd.nih.gov/have-you-heard/new-hair-cells-need-to-stand-in-formation-to-reverse-hearing-loss)
- The Audible Spectrum - (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK10924)
- Fetal hearing - (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3061844/)
- Ear Irrigation - (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK459335/)
- Anatomy, Head and Neck, Ear Eustachian Tube - (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK482338/)
- Smell - (https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/humans-can-identify-more-1-trillion-smells)
- Sex Differences in Human Olfaction: A Meta-Analysis - (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30814965)
- Pregnancy and olfaction: a review - (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3915141/)
- Clinical Usefulness of Maternal Odor in Newborns: Soothing and Feeding Preparatory Responses - (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2046216/)
- Changes in the newborn at birth - (https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002395.htm)
- Nose, Nasal Cavities, & Paranasal Sinuses - (https://training.seer.cancer.gov/anatomy/respiratory/passages/nose.html)
- Anatomy, Head and Neck: Larynx - (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK538202/)
- Mechanics of human voice production and control - (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5412481/)
- Taking Care of Your Voice - (https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/taking-care-your-voice)
- Laryngeal Motor Cortex and Control of Speech in Human - (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3077440)
- Birdsong and human speech: common themes and mechanisms - (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10202549/)
- Laryngeal hyperfunction during whispering: reality or myth? - (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16503476/)
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