Why Do We Have Two Ears?
Ever wondered why one ear wouldn't suffice, like a single, centrally-located mouth? Here's the fascinating reason why our auditory design requires two ears.
- הרב זמיר כהן
- פורסם כ"ז חשון התשע"ד
#VALUE!
Why do we have two ears? Wouldn't one ear in the middle of our head suffice, just like the mouth is centered on the face? And why do we even need ears instead of just a simple hole for sound waves to enter? Plus, what's the deal with that odd-looking shell called the auricle next to each ear?<\/p>
Why is the auricle raised like a wall at the back while open at the front? Is it just a random development? Imagine a soldier on night watch. It's dark and silent all around him, then suddenly there's a rustle from the right. He immediately turns in that direction. How did he know the sound came from the right? It's pretty simple! The right ear picked up the sound a fraction of a second before the left, and the signal was stronger, promptly feeding this information to the brain.<\/div>
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The brain processes the initial information from the 'sensor' on the right and quickly alerts the vision system to focus there, putting the whole body on high alert. It rapidly analyzes the situation, recalls strategic instructions for such scenarios, and guides various muscles and speech systems on what actions to take.<\/div>
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If the rustling comes from the left, the left ear hears it before the right and with more intensity. If the sound is from the front, both ears perceive it simultaneously with the same intensity. And what if the sound originates from behind? How do we detect that? That's where the auricle's design comes in—open to the front and raised at the back—creating a 'sound shadow' that helps the brain pinpoint the exact location.<\/div>
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This is the brilliant design of our outer ear structure. We haven't even touched on the nature and process of hearing itself, how sound waves enter the ear canal and strike "like a hammer on an anvil," converting mechanical energy into electrochemical signals that the brain understands—an incredible process.<\/div>
We also haven't mentioned the remarkable ability to distinguish different sounds and even identify two people talking without seeing them, just by voice, knowing who said what. Did you notice that two separate systems—the vocal cords and speech mechanism and the sound reception and recognition system—are perfectly matched? This one generates sound waves; the other is built to receive them effortlessly.<\/p>
*In accurate expression search should be used in quotas. For example: "Family Pure", "Rabbi Zamir Cohen" and so on
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