Did you know that you need bones to be able to hear?

The stirrup, deep inside the ear, is the smallest bone in the body. It is one of three tiny bones that transfer vibrations from our ear drum to the hairs in our inner ear and eventually through nerves to our brain. The stirrup, hammer and anvil bones enable us to hear.

 

The stirrup is less than an eighth of an inch long, about the size of the word "ha" in this sentence.

Bones are more marvelous than most of us know and having skeletons around the house or office can be lots of fun!