HUMAN LIFE A PRECIOUS GIFT

The Human Ear

Although some animals can hear sound frequencies beyond the range of human hearing, the combination of a human's ears and brain is a formidable  one, say audio experts. Our hearing enables us to determine loudness, pitch, and tone and to approximate the direction and distance of a sound source.   The frequency range of a healthy human ear is roughly 20 to 20,000 hertz, or cycles of sound oscillations per second.  The most sensitive region is in the 1,000 to 5,00 hertz range. Moreover, we may be able to detect a change of just one hertz, from, say 440 hertz to 441 hertz.

Indeed, a healthy ear is so sensitive that it can detect sounds when the vibration, or to-and fro movement, of the air at the eardrum is less than the diameter of an atom! According to a  university course on hearing, "the human hearing system is close to the theoretical physical limits of sensitivity. . ..There would be little point in being much more sensitive to sound, as all we would hear would be a 'hiss,' " the result of the random  movement of the atoms and molecules that make up the air.

Eardrum vibrations are amplified mechanically by lever action and are transferred  to the inner ear by means of the ossicles-tiny bones known as the hammer, the anvil, and the stapes. But what if your ears are suddenly struck by a deafening sound?  In that even, they have a built-in protective mechanism in the form of muscle action that adjusts the ossicles to reduce the force of the sound. However, the ears are not equipped  to deal  with prolonged loud noise. Such exposure can permanently damage the hearing.  So take good care of this "wonderfully made" gift from your Creator. -Psalm 139:14. 

Your auditory system also helps you to detect a sound source.  The secret lies in a number of factors, including the shell-like shape of the outer ear, its grooves, the separation of the two ears, and some computational brilliance on the part of your brain. Thus, if the intensity of a sound fades just slightly from ear to ear or if the sound reaches one ear just 30 millionths of a second before it reaches the other, your brain will promptly point your eyes toward the sound source.

Imagine if you had to make all those computations consciously!  To be sure, you would have to know how to use very advanced mathematics-and with lightning speed!  If an engineer were to design a "hearing" system that came even remotely close to the one your Creator gave you, he would receive many accolades. Yet, how often do you hear people give due credit to God for his awesome works? -Romans 1:20. 

Next time: HUMAN LIFE A PRECIOUS GIFT-The Human Eye

From the Awake magazine