Ear anatomy
Also known as: ears, hearing
The external ear gathers sound; the middle and inner ear (not modelled here) convert it to nerve signals and sense balance.
About
The auricle (pinna): the visible ear of skin-covered elastic cartilage.
Function. Collects sound and funnels it into the ear canal; its shape helps locate sounds.
Structures in the atlas 1
The modelled pieces that make up the ear in the 3D atlas. Each opens in the explorer.
The sensory organs in brief
The eye focuses light through the cornea and lens onto the retina, whose signals travel along the optic nerve to the brain. The model separates the cornea, sclera, choroid, iris, lens, vitreous body and retina, plus the lacrimal apparatus that produces and drains tears and the tarsal plates of the eyelids. The external ear collects sound towards the tympanic membrane; the middle and inner ear are not modelled in this release.