Human Senses 2. Hearing and Balance (12 of 19)

Human Senses

Our body mass on the other hand is easier to handle.
With a nice upright torso with all our weight directly over our legs.
But our problem is a big heavy head at the top that can tip us over.
And if walking on 2 legs isn't hard enough we go and make things even more difficult.
What makes life really tough for the human sense of balance is the crazy things we do with our bodies.
Unlike any other animal we take pleasure in devising bizarre ways to test our sense of balance.
And because we do all this it's a monumental challenge to keep track of where we are at all times.
The world can be a pretty confusing place.

Which way are we moving?
Which way are we spinning? Which way is the right way up?
NIn order to keep control you have to know how your body is moving through space.
And when you're a stunt man like Marc Cass being aware of your own movements is vital to the job.
It 's really important for every stunt man to have good body co-ordination, know where they are in space.
Other wise it could be a matter of life or death.
So how do we sense which way our body is moving?
For that basic information we rely on a set of special balance organs deep within the ear.
This series of tubes and chambers no bigger than a pea monitors ever move made by our head.
So when we take off, or skid to a halt, or go in to a spin.
These movements are sensed within the inner ear.
The tubes are full of fluid.
lnside the tubes there are tufts of microscopic hair cells.
When we move our heads the fluid move and the hair cells are bent.
They send nerve signals to the brain.