Curious About Ears

PODCAST 174: CURIOUS ABOUT EARS

RELEASE DATE: JANUARY 30TH, 2022

D:  HELLO, AND WELCOME BACK TO THE CURIOUS KID PODCAST.  WAIT UNTIL YOU HEAR WHAT WE’RE GETTING CURIOUS ABOUT THIS WEEK.

O:  MAILBAG!

D:  MAILBAG!

“DEAR OLIVIA AND JACOB, MY NAME IS ASH AND I LIVE IN COLORADO.  I AM FIVE YEARS OLD AND I’M CURIOUS ABOUT RAVENS AND OCTOPUSES.  I ALSO WANT TO KNOW ABOUT EARS AND HOW PEOPLE HEAR.  AND I LOVE YOUR PODCAST - WE LISTEN TO IT ON ROAD TRIPS.

ACTUALLY, I WANT TO LEARN ABOUT CAR BATTERIES TOO.  WE ARE ON A ROAD TRIP RIGHT NOW AND OUR BATTERY DIED.  LUCKILY, SOMEONE WITH A PORTABLE CAR BATTERY HELPED US BY GIVING IT A JUMP START.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!  

ASH AND HIS MOM KIM, FROM BOULDER, COLORADO”

O:  WOW, WHAT A GREAT E-MAIL!  SO MANY WONDERFUL SUGGESTIONS OF TOPICS TO GET CURIOUS ABOUT.  THIS WEEK, WE ARE GETTING CURIOUS ABOUT EARS FOR ASH.  

D:  THE HUMAN BODY IS SO AMAZING, AND THERE AREN’T MANY PARTS OF THE BODY THAT I THINK ARE AS FASCINATING AS EARS.  OUR EARS ARE IMPORTANT IN ALLOWING US TO HEAR THE WORLD AROUND US, BUT IT TURNS OUT THAT OUR EARS SERVE OTHER IMPORTANT PURPOSES AS WELL.  STICK AROUND TO LEARN LOTS ABOUT OUR EARS WITH THE HELP OF A VERY SPECIAL GUEST.  IF YOU LISTENED TO LAST WEEK’S EPISODE ON CODING, YOU KNOW THAT THERE WERE A LOT OF HARD WORDS IN THAT EPISODE THAT MAY BE NEW TO A LOT OF OUR LISTENERS, LIKE ALGORITHM AND DECOMPOSITION.  WELL, IF YOU THINK THOSE WORDS ARE HARD, JUST WAIT UNTIL YOU HEAR WHAT JOB OUR SPECIAL GUEST THIS WEEK HAS.  HIS NAME IS RYAN AND HE’S A PEDIATRIC OTOLARYNGOLOGIST.  WE’RE GOING TO BREAK DOWN WHAT THAT MEANS IN JUST A COUPLE OF MINUTES.  BEFORE WE GET THERE, WHY DON’T YOU TELL US THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK?

O:  THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK IS, WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING SOUNDS IS THE LOUDEST ACCORDING TO THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF AUDIOLOGY; CAR HORNS, BLENDERS, FIREWORKS, OR VACUUMS?

D:  ALL OF THOSE SOUNDS ARE DANGEROUS IF EXPOSED TO THEM FOR LONG ENOUGH, BUT ONE OF THOSE SOUNDS IS SO LOUD, THAT HEARING PROTECTION IS RECOMMENDED WHENEVER THE SOUND IS HEARD BECAUSE IT IS SO LOUD.  

O:  THE EAR HAS 3 DIFFERENT SECTIONS, AND THEIR NAMES TOTALLY MAKE SENSE.  THE OUTER EAR, THE MIDDLE EAR, AND THE INNER EAR.  

D:  THE OUTER EAR IS THE PORTION OF THE EAR THAT IS EASILY VISIBLE.  THE PART OF THE EAR THAT PEOPLE USUALLY IDENTIFY AS BEING AN EAR IS CALLED THE PINNA.  IT CAN ALSO BE CALLED AN AURICLE.  

O:  THE PINNA IS MADE OF CARTILAGE COVERED BY SKIN, JUST LIKE THE NOSE.  

D:  THE PINNA ACTS LIKE A FUNNEL AND IT FUNNELS DIFFERENT SOUNDS AND SENDS THEM INTO THE EAR CANAL.  

O:  THE EAR CANAL IS THE PART OF YOUR OUTER EAR WHERE EARWAX LIKES TO HANG OUT.  

D:  EARWAX ALSO HAS A FANCY MEDICAL NAME WHICH IS CERUMEN.  EARWAX IS MADE IN THE EAR CANAL, AND BELIEVE IT OR NOT, EARWAX IS HEALTHY AND VERY IMPORTANT.

O:  FIRST, EARWAX KEEPS THE EAR CANAL MOIST, PREVENTING THE EAR FROM BECOMING TOO DRY.  SECOND, IT WORKS REALLY WELL IN PREVENTING INFECTIONS.  AND THIRD, IT BLOCKS HARMFUL THINGS FROM GETTING TO THE DELICATE EARDRUM.  

D:  THE EARDRUM, WHICH ALSO GOES BY THE FANCY NAME TYMPANIC MEMBRANE, IS A MEMBRANE THAT STRETCHES ACROSS THE EAR CANAL.  IT SEPARATES THE OUTER EAR FROM THE MIDDLE EAR.  

O:  IT’S HELPFUL TO THINK OF THE EARDRUM AS A DRUM, LIKE THE INSTRUMENT.  YOU HIT THE DRUM WITH A DRUMSTICK AND IT MAKES A SOUND.  

D:  THAT’S A GREAT WAY TO THINK ABOUT IT.  THANKFULLY, NO DRUMSTICKS HIT OUR EARDRUMS.  THE WAY OUR EARS WORK IS THAT SOUNDS TRAVEL THROUGH OUR EAR CANALS AND HIT OUR EARDRUMS, MAKING THEM MOVE.  THE MOVING OF THE EARDRUMS LEADS TO VIBRATIONS IN THE MIDDLE EAR.

O:  THE PARTS OF OUR MIDDLE EAR THAT VIBRATE ARE THREE TEENY TINY BONES THAT ARE LOCATED THERE.  THEY ARE THE ONLY 3 BONES IN THE ENTIRE EAR.  THE NAMES OF THOSE BONES ARE THE HAMMER, ANVIL, AND STIRRUP.

D:  THEY HAVE THOSE NAMES BECAUSE THE BONES ACTUALLY RESEMBLE A HAMMER, ANVIL, AND STIRRUP.  LIKE OTHER PARTS OF THE EAR WE’VE ALREADY DISCUSSED, THE 3 BONES IN THE MIDDLE EAR ALSO HAVE MEDICAL NAMES… THE HAMMER IS CALLED THE MALLEUS, THE ANVIL IS CALLED THE INCUS, AND THE STIRRUP IS CALLED THE STAPES.  

O:  THE STAPES IS THE SMALLEST BONE IN THE BODY.  IT IS SUPER TINY.  

D:  GET READY FOR THE CRAZIEST FACT OF THE EPISODE.  THE 3 BONES IN THE MIDDLE EAR, THE MALLEUS, INCUS, AND STAPES, ARE SO SMALL, THAT ALL 3 BONES COULD FIT INSIDE A SINGLE PENNY.

O:  THAT’S INSANE!  NOW THAT WE’VE LEARNED ABOUT THE OUTER AND MIDDLE EAR, WE SHOULD MENTION THAT IT’S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR THE PRESSURE ON BOTH SIDES OF OUR EARDRUMS TO BE EQUAL.  IF THE PRESSURE ON BOTH SIDES ISN’T EQUAL, WE AREN’T GOING TO BE ABLE TO HEAR THINGS JUST RIGHT.

D:  HERE’S AN EXAMPLE MANY OF YOU MIGHT BE FAMILIAR WITH.  IF YOU’VE EVER EXPERIENCED A RAPID RISE OR DROP IN ELEVATION, LIKE YOU WOULD ON AN AIRPLANE, YOU MAY KNOW EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE PRESSURE INSIDE THE EAR IS LARGER THAN THE PRESSURE ON THE OUTSIDE.  THE EARDRUM SWELLS OUTWARD.  WHILE THE EARDRUM IS SWOLLEN, IT CAN’T VIBRATE, MAKING IT VERY HARD TO HEAR THINGS PROPERLY.  THE SENSATION CAN BE A BIT UNCOMFORTABLE, AND SOMETIMES EVEN PAINFUL.  IT DOESN’T LAST LONG.  EVENTUALLY, YOU WILL EXPERIENCE A POPPING FEELING AS YOUR EARS ADJUST TO NORMAL PRESSURE ON BOTH SIDES.  THERE IS A TUBE CALLED THE EUSTACHIAN TUBE THAT CONNECTS THE MIDDLE EAR TO THE BACK OF THE NOSE.  THE EUSTACHIAN TUBE HELPS KEEP THE PRESSURE ON BOTH SIDES OF THE EARDRUM BALANCED.  

O:  IF YOU THINK THE OUTER EAR AND MIDDLE EAR ARE INTERESTING, AND THEY TOTALLY ARE, WAIT UNTIL YOU LEARN MORE ABOUT THE INNER EAR.  

D:  THE INNER EAR IS MADE UP OF THE COCHLEA AND THE SEMICIRCULAR CANALS.  

O:  THE WORD COCHLEA COMES FROM GREEK AND MEANS SNAIL.  IT HAS THAT NAME BECAUSE IT HAS A COIL SHAPE, LIKE A SNAIL.  

D:  WHEN THE STAPES OF THE MIDDLE EAR VIBRATES, IT MAKES FLUID IN THE COCHLEA MOVE AROUND.  THE FLUID THAT MOVES AROUND STIMULATES TINY HAIR CELLS INSIDE THE COCHLEA.  DIFFERENT HAIR CELLS WILL BE STIMULATED TO RESPOND TO DIFFERENT SOUNDS.  THAT’S INCREDIBLE.  

O:  WHAT HAPPENS NEXT MIGHT BE EVEN MORE AMAZING.  WHEN A HAIR CELL DETECTS THE FREQUENCY AND PITCH OF A SOUND, IT MAKES A NERVE IMPULSE THAT TRAVELS THROUGH A NERVE CALLED THE COCHLEAR NERVE.  

D:  THE COCHLEAR NERVE ALSO GOES BY THE NAME AUDITORY NERVE.  FROM THERE, THE IMPULSES TRAVEL TO THE BRAIN WHERE THEY ARE TURNED INTO MEANINGFUL SOUNDS.  

O:  THE OTHER IMPORTANT PART OF THE INNER EAR, THE SEMICIRCULAR CANALS, ARE VERY IMPORTANT FOR BALANCE.  THE CANALS ARE FILLED WITH FLUID AND ALSO HAVE HAIRS LINING THEIR WALLS.  

D:  WHEN YOU MOVE YOUR HEAD, THE FLUID IN THE SEMICIRCULAR CANALS MOVES AROUND AND CONTACTS THE HAIRS THAT LINE THE CANAL WALLS.  THOSE HAIRS SEND SIGNALS TO THE BRAIN TO IDENTIFY YOUR POSITION.  THE BRAIN THEN SENDS MESSAGES TO YOUR MUSCLES TO HELP MAKE SURE YOU ARE BALANCED.  

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN ON A RIDE AT AN AMUSEMENT PARK, LIKE THE TEACUPS FOR EXAMPLE?

O:  YES, I LOVE RIDING THE TEACUPS.  I TRY TO MAKE THEM SPIN AROUND AS FAST AS POSSIBLE.

D:  YOU SURE DO.  SO, YOU’RE PROBABLY FAMILIAR WITH THE SENSATION I’M ABOUT TO POINT OUT.  DO YOU KNOW THE FEELING WHEN THE TEACUPS STOP BUT YOU STILL FEEL LIKE YOU’RE SPINNING.

O:  I DO, THAT’S NOT THE GREATEST FEELING.

D:  I AGREE, AND THE REASON YOU GET THAT FEELING IS BECAUSE THE FLUID IN YOUR SEMICIRCULAR CANALS IS STILL SLOSHING AROUND FOR A LITTLE BIT EVEN AFTER YOU STOP.  THE SAME THING WOULD HAPPEN IF YOU HAVE A CUP OF WATER AND YOU SHAKE IT UP.  THE WATER ISN’T GOING TO GET STILL THE SECOND YOU STOP SHAKING THE CUP.  IT WILL TAKE A FEW SECONDS TO SETTLE.  THE SAME GOES FOR THE FLUID IN THE SEMICIRCULAR CANALS.  IT TAKES A FEW SECONDS FOR THE FLUID TO SETTLE, EVEN AFTER THE TEACUPS STOP, WHICH IS WHY YOU MAY STILL FEEL LIKE YOU’RE MOVING AFTER THE RIDE IS OVER.  

NOW THAT WE’VE LEARNED A LOT ABOUT THE PARTS OF THE EAR AND HOW THEY WORK, LET’S ANSWER THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK, BUT DON’T GO ANYWHERE AFTER WE REVEAL THE ANSWER, BECAUSE A SUPER INTERESTING INTERVIEW WITH A PEDIATRIC OTOLARYNGOLOGIST IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER.  OLIVIA, WHICH 

OF THE FOLLOWING SOUNDS IS THE LOUDEST ACCORDING TO THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF AUDIOLOGY; CAR HORNS, BLENDERS, FIREWORKS, OR VACUUMS?

O:  THE LOUDEST OF THOSE 4 SOUNDS IS FIREWORKS.  THEY ARE SO LOUD THAT THEY SHOULD NEVER BE EXPERIENCED WITHOUT HEARING PROTECTION.

D:  THAT’S RIGHT.  THE SAME THING GOES FOR CAR STEREOS AT FULL VOLUME AND JACKHAMMERS.  THOSE SOUNDS ARE VERY, VERY LOUD, AND SHOULD NEVER BE EXPERIENCED WITHOUT PROTECTION.  

WE ARE SO LUCKY TO HAVE A SPECIAL GUEST WITH US THAT IS GOING TO HELP US LEARN SO MUCH MORE.  HIS NAME IS RYAN AND HE IS A PEDIATRIC OTOLARYNGOLOGIST.  WHAT IN THE WORLD IS THAT?  WELL, AN OTOLARYNGOLOGIST IS A DOCTOR THAT SPECIALIZES IN TREATING THE EAR, NOSE, AND THROAT, AND RYAN IS A PEDIATRIC OTOLARYNGOLOGIST, WHICH MEANS HE TREATS THE EARS, NOSES, AND THROATS OF CHILDREN.  I CAN’T WAIT TO LEARN MORE FROM RYAN.  TAKE IT AWAY,  OLIVIA.

O:  RYAN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING A GUEST ON THE CURIOUS KID PODCAST.  WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO BECOME A PEDIATRIC OTOLARYNGOLOGIST?

R:  —————————————————————————————.

O:  WHY DO KIDS GET EAR INFECTIONS MORE FREQUENTLY THAN ADULTS?

R:  —————————————————————————————.

O:  IS CLEANING YOUR EARS WITH Q-TIPS SAFE?

R:  —————————————————————————————.

O:  IS LISTENING TO LOUD MUSIC BAD FOR YOUR HEARING?

R:  —————————————————————————————.

D:  WOW, THAT WAS SUPER.  A BIG THANKS TO RYAN FOR ANSWERING A FEW QUESTIONS FOR US.  LEARNING ABOUT EARS THIS WEEK WAS SO MUCH FUN.  BEFORE WE GO, WE HAVE A COUPLE OF PEOPLE TO THANK.

O:  THANK YOU TO CAMERON C. FOR BEING OUR NEWEST PATREON SUPPORTER.

D:  WE TRULY APPRECIATE ALL OF THE SUPPORT WE GET FROM CAMERON AND OUR OTHER PATREON SUPPORTERS.  THEIR SUPPORT HELPS THE PODCAST CONTINUE.  

O:  WE ALSO WANT TO THANK USERNAME ISAIAH BRYANT FOR THE REVIEW.

D:  THE SUBJECT OF THE REVIEW IS FANTASTIC PODCAST AND HIS REVIEW SAYS “THIS PODCAST IS AWESOME!”  THE REVIEW IS ONLY 4 WORDS LONG, BUT IT HELPS US SO MUCH.  REVIEWS MEAN SO MUCH TO US AND THEY HELP US GET NOTICED BY NEW LISTENERS.  IF YOU LOVE PODCASTS, WHETHER IT’S THIS ONE OR ANY OTHER, A 5 STAR REVIEW GOES A LONG WAY.  WE READ EVERY ONE OF OUR REVIEWS AND WE ARE TOUCHED BY ALL OF THEM, SO THANK YOU!

WELL, THAT’S A WRAP FOR THIS WEEK’S EPISODE.

O:  174 - EARS.

D:  GREAT JOB OLIVIA, AND GREAT JOB ASH FOR GIVING US AN EAR-ILY GOOD TOPIC SUGGESTION.  DO YOU WANT TO LET US KNOW WHAT YOU’RE CURIOUS ABOUT?  IF SO, SEND AN E-MAIL OVER TO CURIOUSKIDPODCAST@GMAIL.COM.  DON’T FORGET TO GIVE US YOUR NAME, AGE, AND HOMETOWN, SO WE CAN GIVE YOU A SHOUTOUT IN AN UPCOMING EPISODE.  NEXT WEEK, WE WILL GET CURIOUS ABOUT SUPERSTITIONS FOR A LISTENER FROM CHERRY HILL, NEW JERSEY.  AS ALWAYS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LISTENING AND GETTING CURIOUS WITH US.