Human ear. Model of a section through a healthy human ear, the organ of hearing and balance. The ear canal of the outer ear joins the pinna (the visible part of an ear, centre left) to the eardrum (tympanic membrane), at the end of the ear canal. Above the eardrum are three tiny joined bones, the ossicles: the malleus, joined to the inside of the eardrum, the incus, and the stapes, connected to the inner ear. The inner ear consists of fluid-filled passages called the labyrinth (white, upper right). This includes the cochlea (snail-shaped), which translates sound vibrations into electrical nerve impulses that are carried to the brain along the acoustic nerve.