Ossicles in motion
A synchrotron image of a vibrating stirrup. | Image: Schmeltz et al. (2024)
Three small ossicles just a few millimetres in size transmit sound waves from the eardrum to the inner ear. The tiny vibrations of the bones colloquially known as hammer, anvil and stirrup have been visualised for the first time by a team from the University of Bern and the Paul Scherrer Institute using powerful X-rays, a high-resolution microscope and a fast camera. The specimens were prepared from donated bodies. One of their findings was that the stirrup moves not just up and down, but also sideways in some cases (the colours in the illustration here depict phases of movement). This realisation could help to improve surgery on the middle ear.
