Discover how your ear’s shape is determined at a critical period.
This is one of fifteen interactive Link Station activities. Try it out in the Hall of Human Life, then view and compare your data here. How long are your ears? For this activity, you will take a picture of your ear and measure its length. What factors, such as age or height, do you think might affect ear length?
Critical period
The shape of your ear was determined during a critical period of your development. During this time, between four and nine weeks after conception, the environment in the womb had the greatest impact on the genes that determined your ears’ shape.
My, what big ears you have
Your basic ear shape is established during fetal development, but the story does not end there. Our ears continue to lengthen throughout our lives.