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It is determined by the level of fluid properly called endolymph) in the labyrinth - a complex set of tubing in the inner ear.

When the sense of balance is disturbed it causes dizziness, disorientation and nausea. Balance can be upset by Meniere's disease, an inner ear infection , by a bad head cold or a sinus infection, or a number of other medical conditions. It can also be temporarily disturbed by rapid and vigorous movement, for example riding on a merry-go-round.

You can temporarily disturb your sense of balance by closing your eyes and turning rapidly in circles five or six times. This starts the fluid swirling in circles inside your ear canal. When you stop turning it takes a few minutes for the fluid to lose momentum, and until then the sense from your inner ear conflicts with the information coming from your vision, causing dizziness and disorientation. Most astronautBruce McCandless II using a manned maneuvering unit. Picture courtesy NASA An astronaut cosmonaut or taikonaut is a person who travels into space, or who makes a career of doing so. The criteria for determining who has achieved human spaceflight vary (sees find that their sense of balance is impaired when in orbit, because there is not enough gravityThis article covers the physics of gravitation. See also gravity (disambiguation). Gravitation is the tendency of masses to move toward each other. The first mathematical formulation of the theory of gravitation was made by Sir Isaac Newton and proved ast to keep the ear's fluid in balance. This causes a form of motion sicknessMotion sickness also called seasickness carsickness or airsickness depending on what one has been traveling in, is a condition in which the endolymph (the fluid found in the semicircular canals of the inner ears) becomes 'stirred up', causing confusion be called space sicknessSpace sickness is what astronauts go through when they adapt to zero gravity. It is related to motion sickness. It is also called space adaptation syndrome ..

A rope-dancer or rope-walker is a balance artistAn artist is someone who employs creative talent to produce works of art. The term may be used in connection with any branch of the arts—for example music, literature, and theatre—but more commonly refers to an individual who practises the visual arts or, often using a balance beam, see Tightrope walkingTightrope walking is a spectacle activity usually performed for the amusement of an audience. It involves a performer who walks along a thin wire or rope usually from a great height. The "tightrope walker" may sometimes use a pole to aid in balancing whil.

Equilibrioception in many marine animals is done with an entirely different organ, the statocystThe statocyst is a balance organ present in some aquatic invertebrates ( Cnidarians, Ctenophores, Bilaterians). It consists of a sac-like structure containing a mineralised mass ( statolith) and numerous innervated sensory hairs ( setae). The statholith p, which detects the position of tiny calcareous stones to determine which way is "up".