December 27 – Human Hearing of Ultrasonic Sound
We are still discovering new capabilities and features of the human body. It has long been assumed that humans cannot hear ultrasonic sound because the mechanisms within our ear do not respond to sound wavelengths that small. Yet, Dr. Patrick Flanagan was issued two patents in 1958 for his invention of a device he called the Neurophone™, which coverts normal sound into ultrasonic signals. He showed that the human brain was able to “hear” and interpret these signals. It has taken almost 50 years to explain this capability.
Dr. Martin Lenhardt of the University of Virginia recently discovered that a tiny organ in our inner ear (that is normally associated with balance) is also responsible for our ability to sense ultrasonic sound. This organ, called the saccule, is capable of responding to ultrasonic sound and sending the signals to the human brain. Lenhardt discovered that nerves from the pea-sized saccule are distributed throughout the brain – some going to the area of the brain that computes sound while others are distributed into areas concerned with long-term memory.
In an age where some would have us believe almost all discoveries of science have already been made, there is much yet to be learned about the creation – including the design of our own bodies!
1 Samuel 2:2
NIV: There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.
Reference
Brain Waves
Science, Vol. 253, 5, 1991, 82.
Learn More
Your hearing: a powerful pointer to God’s creation
‘Transitional form’ in mammal ear evolution—more cacophony
Recommended
Book: Guide to the Human Body, Dr. Randy Guliuzza