What's that weird-looking, round thing that's dangling from the back of your throat and what is its purpose?
This piece of tissue is called palatine Uvula, or simply Uvula.
Interestingly, only humans and a handful of monkey species actually have a uvula.
It hangs from the soft palate, the roof of your mouth, but it's not actually necessary for survival, it could be removed.
So what exactly does the uvula do?
Functions
There are different functions of the Uvula - the most important one probably being that it helps lubricate the inside of your mouth.
Obviously, saliva is the main lubricator, but the uvula actually produces its own, thin kind of saliva.
The inside of the uvula is equipped with muscles and glands.
When we speak or eat, the inner muscles contract and the glands automatically release the thin form of saliva, and as the uvula swings back and forth it keeps the inside of our mouth from drying out.
Another purpose is that the uvula protects food from getting into your nasal passage when eating: just as you swallow, the uvula swings back and blocks the entrance.
But actually, the soft palate does that too, so this is just an additional help.
The uvula can also activate your gag reflex, which is important for humans because it prevents them from choking and thrusts forward anything that is too large to swallow.
Together with the soft palate and the tonsils, the uvula also forms a first barrier of protection against bacteria coming inside your mouth.
But it can also get infected, for example when you suffer from tonsilitis, and then it can swell and become quite painful.
Sometimes, the uvula can also be the reason why people snore - especially when their uvula is enlarged.
Removal?
In cases of sleep apnea, it's possible to remove the uvula, without the patient suffering from any major consequences.
The biggest complaint from people that had their uvula removed is that they often experience a dry throat, since there's no more thin saliva as an additional lubricator.
So if we can live without the uvula.. what's the evolutionary reason for its existence?!
Scientists are still not sure about this.
Like mentioned above, hindering food from entering the nasal caveties and lubricating the inside of your mouth are 2 reasons, but both functions are actually covered by other parts of the body as well.
Another theory is that the uvula is an accesory of speech - which would explain while almost no other animals even have it.
Human speech is extremely complex, and the uvula helps create certain sounds -for example a rolling "R"- which are used in certain languages.
Images: 1, 2, 3, Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4
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