• Question: Why do we have ear wax?

    Asked by nessy123 to Adam, Joanna, Louise S, Louise W, Marcus on 19 Nov 2012.
    • Photo: Louise Walkin

      Louise Walkin answered on 19 Nov 2012:

      Ear wax has a few different functions. First, it is there to make sure our ears don’t dry out, they would be very itchy otherwise! It also stops anything from outside the ear canal getting down to the eardrum which is very sensitive. If you damage your eardrum you normally need an operation to fix it. It also has special enzymes to break down anything that might irritate or infect the ear canal. Everyone has earwax and although it’s a bit yucky we do need to to keep our ears healthy! 🙂

    • Photo: Marcus Wilson

      Marcus Wilson answered on 19 Nov 2012:

      interstingly what ytpe of earwax you produce, wet or dry is genetic. it all comes down to one mutation in the gene ABCC11. the versionm of the gene that codes for wet ear wax is dominant, so if one of your parents has wet ear wax, you will too.

      Its one of the only examples where one single gene leads to a specific characteristic. Othertraits like hair colour, eye colour and toungue rolling have truned out to be far more complex and due to lots of diffent gentic and environemental factors.

    • Photo: Adam Paige

      Adam Paige answered on 19 Nov 2012:

      In our lungs we have mucus, our mouths have saliva and in our ears wax. All key methods for our bodies to ensure we do not get bacteria and other infections inside us.

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