Think of your favorite song. How does it make you feel? What images do you see when you hear it? Before reaching the brain to create those feelings and images, those musical sounds take a strange, physical, mechanical, and sometimes violent path through the ear. A large part of how we perceive the audible world depends upon a set of tiny, vibrating bones--bones that often get overlooked until something goes wrong. In this episode, you’ll hear the story of these unsung skeletal heroes. We’ll talk about the role they play in hearing, and how unforeseen circumstances can cause irreparable damage.