Exploration Talk: All About Ears

The ear is often thought of as the organ of hearing, but it plays a far greater role in biology than just detecting sound! In this talk, we’ll explore the three distinct parts of the mammal ear—external, middle, and inner ear—and how we can use them, using techniques like geometric morphometrics, statistical modelling and biomechanical analyses, to investigate not only hearing but also locomotion, taxonomy, navigation, body size, and even body temperature in both living and extinct species. A special focus will be given to the semicircular ducts of the inner ear, which are crucial for balance, and discuss why incorporating functional analyses of soft tissues is essential when reconstructing the traits of fossil organisms.

Dr. Romain David is a vertebrate palaeontologist and biomechanist at the Natural History Museum in London, specializing in the morphology, function and evolution of the inner ear of vertebrates. His research particularly focuses on the biomechanics of the semicircular ducts, fluid-filled organs which play a crucial role in balance, vision, navigation and spatial awareness. By studying the inner ear in both living and extinct species, he uncovers insights into balance, hearing, posture, body size, body temperature, and evolutionary relationships.

Using advanced imaging, biomechanical modelling, and statistical approaches, Dr. David investigates major evolutionary transitions—how our ancestors first walked on two legs, how dinosaurs took flight, and how ancient whales adapted to life in water, among others. His work bridges paleontology and biomechanics to reconstruct how extinct animals moved, lived, and thrived. He has held research positions at the Collège de France in Paris and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, and his findings have been published in internationally recognised journals such as Nature and Science.