Have you ever wondered why our heads are shaped the way they are? Well wonder no more, for I am about to tell you.
The first thing to understand is that we have a very big brain. This gives us a lot of intelligence, but it also causes our heads to be relatively large and cumbersome. If nature had to start over again, it probably wouldn’t design such a large brain. It’s just not worth the cost in terms of energy consumption and vulnerability to injury. But as it happens, our head is pretty well optimized for its most important job: protecting the brain inside.
The primary defense mechanism is that the skull is composed of multiple bones (called cranial bones), stacked on top of one another like a pile of coins. The bones themselves are lightweight and thin, which makes them easier to break apart in an accident or fight. But the spaces between them are filled with fluid-filled sacks called meninges, which cushion the impact of blows and make it harder to fracture the skull’s surface. When a blow occurs, these sacks help distribute the force across an area that’s much larger than a single bone, while still being able to absorb a good deal of energy before they give way themselves.
And this brings us back to why our skulls
Without a doubt, the human head is among one of the most fascinating aspects of human anatomy. The shape of our head is both unique and fascinating to study in terms of development, function and evolution. The cranium serves not only as a container for the brain, but also as a protector for the brain.
The cranium does not directly protect the brain from any physical harm. Rather it protects the brain from jolts and other physical stressors by acting as a cushion that absorbs much of the impact from physical trauma. The cranium also holds fluid which further acts as an additional protective cushion. The fluid surrounding the brain (cerebrospinal fluid) serves as a shock absorber and prevents the brain from striking against the inside of the skull during movement such as running or falling down stairs.
The cranium protects more than just our brains; it also protects important facial features. Without this bony protection, our cheeks and chins would be exposed to trauma and injury on a regular basis which would result in disfigurement or even death!
The shape of the human head is determined by the cranium, which is made up of 22 bones. The first seven bones, those closest to the face, are the facial bones. These bones are in a vertical line from the front of the head to the back. The facial bones have several very distinctive features that allow for differentiations between people and identification of their ancestry. These bones include:
The nasal root of each maxilla is at a higher level than that of the mandible. The nasal root extends more anteriorly than that of the mandible.
The nasal aperture is wider than that of the mandible.
The nasal aperture is smaller in height and width than that of the mandible.
The nasal bone has a bony projection known as a dorsum that descends inferiorly toward the tip of the nose and separates it from other structures within the nose such as cartilage and soft tissue.
The alveolar process is continuous with both sides of both maxillae and joins with the alveolar process of both mandibles, creating a chin. In contrast, there is no chin formation on other primate species.
The cranium is made up of two parts: the neurocranium and the facial skeleton. The neurocranium is the hard part of the skull that protects your brain and holds it in place. It includes the frontal, parietal, occipital, temporal, sphenoid and ethmoid bones.
We have a variety of cranial features used for identification. Consider the ears. They have a helical structure that allows us to hear sounds from different directions. The inner ear also has a cochlea that turns sound waves into electrical signals that our brains can interpret as sound.
The nose is another good example of this feature – it contains an organ called the olfactory epithelium that helps us detect smells. Some animals use their sense of smell to find food or identify mates, so having a sensitive nose helps in survival.
The lips play an important role in speech as they help shape words and control air flow as we speak. The chin and jawbone also help us speak clearly by holding our lower teeth in place while we talk.
The human skull is one of the most complex and fascinating pieces of natural design. It is also a very personal piece of anatomy, the most personal part of our unique body plan.
Treating your skull with respect is therefore an important part of understanding who you are.
The skull is not just a bone that protects the brain. It does this well, but it also serves as a support for the muscles that move the mouth, jaw and face; as an anchor for our sense organs; as protection for our inner ears; and as a place from which we can experience pleasure and even sexual sensation.
The skull is so effective in all these functions because it follows three basic rules:
1) The skull must be strong enough to protect the brain from injury.2) The skull must be light enough to allow us to balance upright on two legs.3) The skull must have room inside to anchor the eyes, ears, nose and mouth, so we can see, hear, smell, taste and talk effectively.
*A good exercise for learning about your skull is to take a mirror and hold it up in front of your face. Examine your reflection from different angles until you understand how everything fits together inside your head. You can also use a flashlight to cast
The nose of a human is between their eyes, not on their forehead.
The two hemispheres of the brain are shaped differently, and this difference is reflected in their structure. The right hemisphere is thicker and more heavily folded than the left side. This gives it the appearance of being a single mass, whereas the left side looks like a series of stacked layers.
The back part of the brain is also different from the front. In most people, the back part is more bulbous. This is because it has a larger cerebellum, which controls deep muscle movements and coordination.
The cerebrum is made up of five lobes- the frontal lobe, parietal lobe, temporal lobe, occipital lobe, and insular cortex. The frontal lobe plays a role in personality expression and decision making; some scientists believe that damage to this area is linked to violence. The parietal lobe is involved in sensory processing; one area of this region helps us understand numbers and symbols. The temporal lobe helps us process language, memory tasks, and emotion; it also contains our auditory cortex. The occipital lobe processes vision; damage to this area can result in blindness or hallucinations. Finally, the insular cortex helps us interpret physical sensations like temperature and taste as well as emotions.*