This image shows the part of the inner ear responsible for our sense of balance. We can see the uniquely shaped outline of individual cells in magenta, and the cyan colour shows the nuclei of cells, where the genetic information of the cell is stored. Despite this incredible image, we actually understand very little about what these cells do on a day-to-day basis for our balance – they remain a mystery!

Dr Suzuki-Kerr is an auditory neuroscientist based at the University of Auckland, and this image was taken as a part of her work to understand how we can maintain the health of the inner ear. When the inner ear is damaged, or dysfunctional, we often develop hearing loss or balance disorders. Dr Suzuki-Kerr hopes that by further investigating changes to the structures and cells of the inner ear, we will be able to better understand and treat the balance and hearing disorders that affect many people here in New Zealand.