The Structure of a Human Head has many shapes and sizes, from the size of an orange to the size of an average watermelon. But what makes up a human head? This list explains everything you need to know about the structure of a human head.
The Structure of a Human Head! Why do we have heads?
Heads are incredible, mainly because we often take them for granted. Heads are crucial to our human experience and come with so many complicated components. We need our heads for breathing, movement, balance, sensory input, speech, etc. The head may be small in proportion to the rest of the body, but it is without question the most complex part of our anatomy. The skull is our key piece because it serves as a protective casing that houses everything else in our head-brain and spinal cord included! The skull protects us from injury by forming an insulating layer that acts as a barrier against infection while also aiding in protection against trauma!
But there is so much more to the human head than just this physical protection it provides us with!
How do bones form in the embryo?
This answer is kind of complicated, but I’ll try to break it down as simply as possible. Embryonic tissue starts out as little balls of cells called blasts, which divide, grow, and move around the uterus until they find their spot and attach themselves to the wall. The process by which these cells know where to go and what to do is called differentiation. This is important because, for example, you want eyeballs formed on the outside so that light can get in rather than on the inside like an eyeball. When cells differentiate, one type may become bone while another differentiates into skin or heart muscle cells.
What are bony structures of the skull called?
Bony structures of the skull are called cranial bones. These can be divided into those that surround the brain (the cranially-placed bones) and those that form the dome and the sides of the cranium (the extrathoracic or peripherally-placed bones). Cranially-placed bones include two orbital plates, two temporal plates, two occipital plates, one frontal plate, one sphenoid plate, one ethmoid plate, and an unpaired mandible. The exorbitant plates make up the upper orbital margin, parts of the medial wall of the orbit, and part of each temporal fossa. The extrathoracic or extrathoracically-placed cranial bones include three nasal capsules and four palatine capsules.
Where are our sensory organs located?
Your sensory organs are also in your head, but they’re not called organs. The sensory systems are: olfactory (smell), gustatory (taste), somatosensory (touch), auditory (hearing) and visual. The areas that correspond to each of these systems are called the olfactory bulb, gustatory region, primary and secondary somatosensory cortexes, cochlear nuclei, and optic lobes respectively.
Where is the brain located, where does it reside and what does it do?
A human head is home to many organs, which all serve different purposes. The brain is the master controller and the head’s largest organ. It does so much more than you might imagine! It not only controls the movement of your body and hands, but it also coordinates almost everything you do by sending signals to other parts of your body. Your heart rate, breathing, sight, hearing -all of these rely on signals from your brain. Your brain controls emotions like anger or happiness as well as memory – even remembering how to ride a bike or speak another language after years apart. Everything you have ever seen, heard or smelled – whether good or bad- gets registered in your brain.
Where is the cerebrospinal fluid in your body and what does it protect us from?
The cerebrospinal fluid is stored in the cerebrospinal canal. This fluid surrounds and cushions the brain, spinal cord, and other tissues in your head. It keeps them from banging into each other or squishing. They say it is like packing our brains in soft tissue every day to make sure they are safe from injury during daily activities.
How do cranial nerves affect our well-being, why do we need them to function properly and what happens if they don’t work as intended?
Cranial nerves take orders from the brain and relay messages to and from various parts of the body. Essentially, cranial nerves serve as sensory neurons that allow you to feel things like pain or temperature on your skin. When these sensations are out of balance, something is probably wrong with your cranial nerve. This could be anything from an injury to disease affecting it. It’s important for them to work properly because they allow our bodies to receive critical feedback on what’s happening in the outside world and regulate how our organs respond accordingly.
Does having a head make you special among animals on Earth (and space)?
In the animal kingdom, not all animals have heads. Some organisms may not have any form of head at all; either no head or a kind that is hard to identify. Examples include sponges, jellyfish, and bacteria. The Earth itself also lacks a large surface area with human life, making the probability of meeting another animal with its own human-like head very low. However, just because humans lack other heads does not mean our species is any less special than others.
For instance, what makes humans so different from other organisms is their ability to use tools and language; two abilities that are absent in almost every other creature on earth.
