Page 165 - Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

Harun Yahya

tube is a gelatinous cap (cupu- Semicircular canals
la), which sits on a bulged
Ampullary nerves
Ampullae
area (crista) covered with sen- Saccule
sory hair cells. When we turn
our heads, walk, or make any
movement, the fluid within
Cochlea
these canals lags behind be- Endolymph-filled canals
Posterior semicircular canal
cause of inertia. The fluid
pushes against the cupula, de- Anterior semicircular canal
flecting it. This deflection is
measured by the hair cells in Horizontal semicircular canal
the crista as the hairs’ vibra-
tion alters the ion balance in
Cristae and ampullary nerves
the cells connected to them,
producing electrical signals.
These signals produced in the inner ear are transmitted by means of
nerves to the cerebellum at the back of our brain. These transmitter nerves
from the labyrinth to the cerebellum have been shown to contain 20,000
nerve fibers.
The cerebellum interprets this information from the labyrinth, but in
order to maintain balance, it also needs other information. Therefore, the
cerebellum receives constant information from the eyes and from muscles
throughout the body, rapidly analyzing all this information and calculat-
ing the body’s position relative to gravity. Then, based on these instant
calculations, it notifies the muscles via the nerves of the exact movements
they should make to maintain balance.
These extraordinary processes occur in less than 1/100th of a second.
We are able to walk, run, ride a bicycle, and play sports without even be-
ing aware all this is going on. Yet if were we to put down on paper all the
calculations going on in our bodies at any one instant, the formulae

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