Body & HealthHow it works

How your ear knows which way is up.

Your inner ear holds a two-part measuring device. Three ring-shaped semicircular canals sit at right angles like the edges of a box; fluid inside them registers rotation around each axis. Next to them, two small sacs hold tiny calcium crystals resting on sensory hairs. Gravity pulls the crystals down, reporting tilt and acceleration even with your eyes shut.

Useful: Standing on one leg in the dark shows how much this system quietly does for you.

Source: en.wikipedia.org

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