How does the Epiglottis know when to open/close?

General Chat Chat / Discussions
1

We still breathe when we have a mouthful of food.
Only swallowing closes the Epiglottis?
Sometimes food gets into the windpipe causing us to cough and expel the food

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2

just press the delete button

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3

Yep, we certainly don’t give our Epiglottises enough credit.

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4

To be honest I’ve neglected my Epiglottis and not given it much thought. However, the older I get, the more the food seems to go down the wrong hole…Perhaps it’s my Epiglottis wanting some love and appreciation.

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5

The epiglottis closes when we swallow to prevent food from entering the windpipe. Coughing helps expel any food that enters the windpipe.

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6

Because it’s a clever little epiglottis.The entire human body is amazing.

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7

So fascinating how everything is put together ad works in unison. :man_shrugging:

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8

It is … but are we an inferior species.

I mean the same opening not only has to deal with eating and breathing … once you add in talking you’re asking for trouble.
Perhaps when we just grunted it was simpler.

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9

Some folks are still grunting, especially when you say Gooday in good faith.

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10

Not as remarkable as the anal sphincter which seems to know the difference between gas, solids and liquids and acts accordingly.

Though on the rare occasion that it gets it wrong there are consequences.

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11

is that why babies wear nappies

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12

Sorry Morty… :blush:…But I must strongly disagree with you there… :009:
Humans are in fact a ‘superior’ species, there is nothing on this planet that comes remotely close to the versatility, adaptability and intelligence of the human species. That’s why there are so many of us…
:sunglasses:

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Not on this planet, but there are other planets that may have a species superior to ours :nerd_face:

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14

Aren’t there as many rats as humans?
Are they superior then too?

We’re defintley the most warlike.

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Ah Anise, but now you are widening the goal posts…And unless they come here we’ll never know…
:nerd_face:

I’ve never seen a rat post on the forum Morty?
:sunglasses:

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16

Depends how you’re defining superior?

Weight of numbers ?
A finely tuned survival instinct linked to native cunning ?
The size of the brain ?

Or a brain that devises ways of ruining the planet we’re on and trusting science,which got us in to the mess … to also get us out of it.
That is not superiority … that’s arrogance and foolhardiness.

Look at ants and wasps and bees with the nests they build , on a par with the pyramids relative to their size and scale except they utilise nature rather than exploit it.

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