Our normal activities require hearing, yet we take hearing for granted. This is largely because the ear does its job well without our having to pay attention to it. Hearing is the only sensory system that allows us to know what is going on everywhere in our environment - we don't have to be looking at the twig that is snapping to know there is something behind us in the dark. This ability imparts tremendous survival advantages for all animals. In addition, human social structures rely on speech communication which requires the sensitive, rapid processing of acoustic energy that the normal inner ear provides.
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