#Larynx (laryngeal

[fangparade]

doing a workshop in FEES (fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing) today and i am excited

[y4wnjunz]

guess who has cold induced laryngitis!! it absolutely hurts like a fucking motherfucker, but ricola honey cough drops, pho, ibuprofen and robitussin honey cough syrup has been a life saver. if you ever get it, drink hot broth, ITS A LIFESAVER I SWEAR!!!

[dwuerch-blog]

A New Voice

In a world filled with noise, it’s easy to feel like our voices get lost in the chaos. Yet, last week, a remarkable story from the Mayo Clinic reminds us of the profound impact a single voice can have. Marty Kedian, a 59-year-old man diagnosed with a rare form of laryngeal cancer, underwent the world’s first total larynx transplant on a cancer patient. Just four months after the complex 21-hour…

[doctoramit]

In most cases, cancer is found in the lining of the mouth, lips, tongue, throat, or the esophagus. Buccal mucosa cancer is the cancer that develops in the mucous membrane that lines the inside of the cheek and the roof of the mouth. It is also called oral cavity cancer.

[aeriona]

HI HELLO! Welcome to my completely unnecessarily detailed analysis on how I think Inkfish languages could work! + with art! yay! This is all pretty rough and not fully fleshed out (I don't have the time or patience for that lmao). THIS IS A LONG POST.

Okay, so there's dozens of languages spoken by cephalopods in the Mollusc Era but the main two I'll talk about are Inkling (or Inklish) and Octarian, spoken mostly by Inklings and Octolings respectively. 

In cephalopods, speech is formed using the syrinx and larynx, two fancy vocal organs that most other species don't have together. The larynx makes sounds using the radula (tongue) and vocal folds in the throat, it's clear and pretty easy to understand as the sound itself resembles human speech, albeit warbled. The syrinx makes noise by vibrating air at the base of the trachea, it's often trickier to follow as it can sound more like droning background noise than words sometimes.

An inkfish can use both of them at once, resulting in an EXTREMELY complicated language system where words can be made up of multiple layered syllables, and several words and sentences can even be said at the same time.

As you can probably imagine, all of this is LITERAL HELL to learn for species who don’t have both a syrinx and a larynx (so basically anyone who isn't a cephalopod). But fear not! There are many simple and more inclusive alternatives, dialects and other cool stuff like sign language and instant TTS technology for people who physically can't pronounce Inkling/Octarian or even vocalise at all (eg. jellyfish).

Both main Inkfish languages can be broken down into laryngeal words (made with the larynx), syringeal/drone words (made with the syrinx) or a combination of both, called dual-toned/layered words.

Keep in mind that both word-types can be spoken at the same time. Layering can be used to add additional connotations to a word, or to even make a new one entirely. For example, the laryngeal noun ‘bird’ combined with the syringeal noun ‘metal’ spoken together will create the layered Inkling word ‘aeroplane’, like a compound word in English.

Dual-toned stuff is more common in Inkling than in Octarian, as the language is older and has more loanwords. Inklish's dependence on the larynx gives it a higher-pitched, clearer sound whereas  Octarian's more monotone syrinx-based structure results in a deep, almost guttural sound.

Both cephalopod languages are heavy on tone and pronunciation, resulting in a plenty of accent indicators in written scripts. I used the in-game fonts for the art but if I were to rework it, each letter would probably be more complicated than traditional Mandarin on steroids. So hell on earth, basically.

On a side note, all of these language features open possibilities for some very cool poetry and literature. An inkfish author could write a poem with two lines of thought occurring at once, or a book with vivid emotional undertones written inside the prose. Pretty cool.

OKAY that's all I have to say thank you for reading! Hopefully this makes sense, feel free to send asks or whatever if it's confusing and I'll do my best to explain it better!

[honeygrahambitch]

"Since laryngitis is not contagious I told Will he should definitely come to work today. Especially now that the Ripper dropped a body. He doesn't need to talk much. He can do his thing and then write a report on it." Jack explained to Hannibal as they arrived at the crime scene. "No one gets hurt and we get even closer to catching the Ripper."

"It's quite cold today." Hannibal commented as a tiny snow flake landed on his palm. "Will agreed I suppose?"

"He did, yes. But we have only been texting so I am not sure what state he actually is in."

Will was already there, next to Beverly, looking around the crime scene, examining something in particular. He was so focused that he didn't even hear Hannibal and Jack.

"Will." Hannibal greeted him. To that Will and Beverly turned to them.

"Will can't speak. Like, at all. I am doing the talking for him today." Beverly explained. Will rolled his eyes helplessly. "He is not thrilled about it but I can do a pretty good job."

"He definitely should not force himself." Hannibal agreed, frowning in concern. If Will was not making any effort to talk then it definitely meant his voice was gone. His usual strategy of ignoring any symptoms he would have did not work in this case.

Jack sighed loudly, probably understanding that Will should have indeed stayed home to rest instead of standing outside in negative temperatures.

"He wants to say that your coat looks majestic, Dr. Lecter." Beverly commented. "Jack, I'm not allowed to say what Will thinks about you at this very moment. I really want to keep my job."

Will didn't protest to any of the things Beverly said and pulled out a little bottle of pills. Hannibal was wondering if Will knew that aspirin won't help that much with getting back his voice. Was his throat sore as well? Probably. Will wouldn't complain about stuff like that even when his voice was perfectly fine.

Hannibal wished he would know that kind of things.

He wished Will would allow him to care for him.

That is why as soon as they were done with the crime scene, he asked Will to get into his car instead of Beverly's. He wanted to open his mouth to protest but the stern look on Hannibal's stern expression made him abandon his attempt to force his larynx.

As soon as they arrived at Hannibal's place, he started making some tea in a navy blue kettle.

"Ginger and chamomile tea does wonders for a sore throat." He explained as Will followed him with his eyes around the kitchen.

Will felt partially powerless and partially grateful. He could admit to himself that other than popping pills, he usually did nothing about feeling sick. He mostly took medication to function at work, he wouldn't need those at home.

"Thank you." He whispered.

Hannibal felt something warm inside himself at hearing his voice for the first time that day.

"You should have told- well, wrote Jack that you are too sick to work, Will. Just so you know, I'm not expecting you for our therapy session tomorrow." Hannibal said as he moved the cattle away from the electric stove.

"No, I can do it." Will whispered a bit louder and coughed immediately after.

"Therapy implies having conversations. And by canceling your appointment I don't mean that I don't want to see you tomorrow. You should definitely come here for dinner." Hannibal went on while pouring tea in two cups. "Sitting with you in silence is not something that I dread."

Will smiled at that. When it came to the two of them, silence was indeed not an obstacle. There was always something to project and something to observe.

Hannibal added a generous spoon of honey in Will's cup and none in his own.

Will opened his mouth to say something more but he coughed again. Hannibal passed him a note book and a pen.

"We can pass notes."

"How romantic" Will wrote to that, earning a genuine smile from Hannibal. Then he kept on writing and then handed the notebook back Hannibal.

"Since I can't talk and you insist on having me around I can finally do what you've been asking me for ages."

"And what have I been asking you for ages?" Hannibal asked curiously as he gave Will the notebook.

"You can draw me in your sketchbook and I promise not to move or make any comment about how boring it is." He wrote back and raised his eyebrows, watching Hannibal's expression as he was reading his words.

"Are you sure?" Hannibal asked trying to conceal his excitement behind a satisfied expression. He was already picturing each pencil or charcoal he could use.

Will nodded.

[thebibi]

Sucking Gangrene Out of a Wound

So last year, there was this feeling of incredulousness about Van Helsing's little story about how Jack saved his life! People had heard of sucking poison out of a wound, but actual gangrene? Jack must have used medical equipment right? He didn't actually use his mouth, RIGHT??

Unfortunately for all of you lovely readers, not only didJack suck the "gangrenous blood" from Van Helsing using his mouth , but its very likely Bram Stoker really did mean it in earnest! Because SCIENCE. Those sciencifically minded bros were SO OPEN MINDED!!

I had the unfortunate displeasure of reading excerpts from this book on Victorian medical history, about all the ways doctors and surgeons had to be incredibly quick thinking and open minded as to not, y'know, kill their patients. One of the famous examples given is of Eric Erichsen, chief surgeon at London's University College Hospital, who used his mouth to suck out infectious blockage from a woman's throat. Yup you heard that right! HIS MOUTH.

Literally, a woman came in for surgery because she had a blocked larynx, most likely laryngitis that had gone on way too long. And during surgery Erichsen realized even though he cut through her throat, the offending material was difficult to get out. So he just used his God give mouth and OH MY GOD GROSS. Anyway, she survived the operation??? He died when he was 78 so this operation didn't impact his health AT ALL??? Yeah.

So anway....yeah. Do I think Bram Stoker knew of this case? No, although three of his brothers were medical doctors. People have also suggested Thornley Stoker was the direct inspiration for Van Helsing because of implied spoilers. But I think he had heard of enough similar tales of surgery gone wrong that it doesn't seem too out of place.

Of course that's not even touching the thematic and symbolic importance of blood sucking in a novel all about Blood Sucking....Either way, yes it would have been entirely possible for Jack to really save Van Helsing's life from succumbing to gangrene. Everyone say Thank You Jack!

[synapsid-taxonomy]

I've seen people say that saber-toothed cats couldn't roar because only Panthera felids can today. But if other large carnivorans like bears and pinnipeds could evolve the ability to roar independently, I don't see why saber-toothed cats would be any different. (Even if it would've sounded different from their modern cousins.)

"Roar" is so vaguely defined a term as to be almost nonscientific. What people mean when they say "saber-toothed cats couldn't roar" is referring to a specific vocalization in big cats - this deep, long-distance territorial call. It has a distinct pattern in each species, and between individuals:

These cats have two specializations that make them able to do this. First, they have an incompletely ossified hyoid - the epihyoid is replaced by a ligament. This allows for the larynx to retract deeper into the throat, making the vocalizations deeper and louder. Incidentally, this also means that they can't purr like small cats do. The second adaptation is that the vocal folds within the larynx are really thick, which lowers the pitch even further.

Left: the hyoids of a roaring tiger (A) and a non-roaring caracal (B); from Deutsch et al. 2023. Right: the larynxes of a roaring jaguar (A) and non-roaring snow leopard (B); from Hast 1989.

Snow leopards have an incompletely ossified hyoid (which means they can't purr), but they don't have the thickened vocal folds. They make the exact same long-distance territorial call as the other members of Panthera, but it instead sounds like this:

Clouded leopards have neither of these specializations, and they basically just meow like a small cat:

So what of saber-toothed cats? Hyoid elements are known from Smilodon. Their shape resembles those of small cats, implying that the larynx itself had a similar morphology (i.e., without the thick vocal folds of big cats). However, the hyoids are also significantly bigger than those of any living cats - including big cats. This implies that the larynx itself was proportionally bigger, and that would mean a deeper pitch to the vocalizations. No modern cat has a disproportionately increased larynx like that, but male Mongolian gazelles and hammer-headed bats have larynxes at least twice the size of the females', and consequently make deeper calls (unfortunately I couldn't find good recordings of either online). The fact that Smilodon is also just larger animal would mean its vocalizations would be deeper than those of small cats anyways. However, the lack of laryngeal specializations means that it may not have had the same deep formant frequencies as big cats; this means the sound would have been less resonant and maybe not able to travel as far.

So basically, Smilodon may have been able to "roar", but not the same roar as modern big cats. Rather, it'd be like the calls of small cats, but much deeper in pitch. A baritone meow, if you will.

[justkidneying]

When to Punch Someone in the Throat (probably never)

I see throat punches in media sometimes, and I wanted to explain why this is such a devastating (and illegal) move. Throat punches are no joke. I've always been taught that in the same way you would never point a gun at something you don't want to kill, you would never punch someone in the throat that you didn't want to kill.

Structure of the throat: the anterior part of the throat is very tender and unprotected. Out front you have the trachea, and behind that you have the esophagus. The thyroid cartilage (this is your Adam's apple) sits at the level of your voice box (larynx). About an inch above that, usually hiding up in your jawline, is the hyoid bone.

The Hyoid Bone: this is a horseshoe-shaped bone that freely sits in the anterior part of the neck (it's not connected to any other bone). It protects the airway, helps maintain neck posture, and assists with chewing, tongue movement, swallowing, and speaking. It's really bad to fracture this bone.

Throat Trauma: with any anterior neck trauma, there is going to be a lot of bruising (ecchymosis) and swelling (edema) in the laryngeal tissue. This swelling can compromise the airway, and the person can literally just die from that. If the force is in the right place and great enough, the hyoid bone will fracture. The bone will usually be fractured in several places. This is likely to also cause asphyxiation. You may also see hemoptysis (coughing up blood).

*I want to note that in strangulation injuries, the hyoid bone is commonly fractured. However, it's only found in 1/3 of homicides from strangulation. *

Timeline: okay, so obviously, the person may just grab their throat, choke, and die. But do you wanna know the part that freaks me out? The fact that patients can be asymptomatic for up to 72 hours (THREE FUCKING DAYS!!!). That's scary because the patient can be fine, they think they just have some bruising and a little swelling, then their throat starts spasming and they die of asphyxiation (crazy, right??).

Fighting: okay, back to fighting. Throat punches are not allowed in any combat sport, not even in no-holds barred (unless it's some weird kumite where you can kill your opponent). But, in normal combat sport this doesn't usually even happen on accident, because most people 1) tuck their chin and 2) know not to EVER punch someone in the neck. If it does happen, people will probably talk about it (like when a rabbit punch is thrown).

The only time I have seen a throat punch is with a kids' class (like 4-8 year olds) and that habit was quickly corrected. I think the only time it is ever appropriate would be in a life-or-death situation, but depending on the laws in your area I have no idea if it would be legal then (because you're probably going to kill that person).

Anyways, main point: don't punch people in the throat, like, ever. They may die, even if it is three days later.

[chimerarachnid]

idk who needs to hear this but I keep seeing people comment that someone is trans/looks trans 💀 because they have an Adam's apple. So in the spirit of education, this is a PSA:

The Adam’s apple, technically called the laryngeal prominence, is a protrusion of cartilage in the throat that surrounds and protects the larynx (or voice box). Its primary function is to protect the vocal cords, which are essential for speaking and breathing. The prominence of the Adam's apple also affects voice depth and pitch to some extent.

Both men and women have an Adam’s apple, but it is typically more prominent in men due to the effects of testosterone during puberty. This hormone stimulates the growth and thickening of the larynx, resulting in a deeper voice and a larger, more visible Adam's apple in men. In women, the growth is generally less pronounced, making the laryngeal prominence smaller or less noticeable.

Other conditions or anatomical features in the neck area can resemble an Adam’s apple. For example:

Swollen Thyroid Gland (Goiter): The thyroid gland, located just below the Adam's apple, can enlarge and resemble or even obscure the laryngeal prominence if it becomes swollen or develops nodules.

Lymph Node Swelling: Enlarged lymph nodes due to infections or other conditions can also cause noticeable lumps in the neck that may appear near the Adam’s apple area.

Cysts or Growths: Thyroglossal duct cysts, benign growths, or other anatomical anomalies can present as lumps near the laryngeal prominence.

TLDR; Comments like the above reflect a common misconception that the Adam's apple is exclusive to men or that it's a definitive marker of someone's sex/gender. The truth is that everyone has an Adam’s apple; it’s just often more prominent in men due to how testosterone affects the larynx during puberty. For some women, especially those with a naturally larger or thicker larynx, it can also be visible, and some men have less prominent Adam’s apples as well. Unfortunately, this idea that a visible Adam’s apple signals something about gender identity is rooted in oversimplified, outdated stereotypes. It’s best to remember that bodies naturally vary, and visible anatomical features don't define someone's gender identity or journey.

[gallifreyinstituteforlearning]

🤔🎤Can Gallifreyans sing?

While their nose, mouth, and throat look and function just like humans, there's a subtle but significant difference in their larynx. Structurally similar to humans, their larynx benefits from a slightly better muscle constitution, giving them more precise control over their vocal cords. Using these, they can mimic the sounds of dolphins and probably even cats.

This superior control translates to a few interesting vocal advantages:

Lovelier Singing Voices: With more precise control over their laryngeal muscles, Gallifreyans can probably hit those high notes and sustain them beautifully.

Excellent Imitation Abilities: Their enhanced muscle control means they can mimic sounds and voices with remarkable accuracy, perfect for those spontaneous impersonations.

So, if Gallifreyas had a version of "The Voice," expect vocal performances so amazing that even the Daleks might even press their button to turn around.

Gallifreyan Biology for Tuesday by GIL

Any purple text is educated guesswork or theoretical. More content ... →📫Got a question? | 📚Complete list of Q+A and factoids →😆Jokes |🩻Biology |🗨️Language |🕰️Throwbacks |🤓Facts →🫀Gallifreyan Anatomy and Physiology Guide (pending) →⚕️Gallifreyan Emergency Medicine Guides →📝Source list (WIP) →📜Masterpost If you're finding your happy place in this part of the internet, feel free to buy a coffee to help keep our exhausted human conscious. She works full-time in medicine and is so very tired 😴

[spacelazarwolf]

what's that thing you mentioned about the ossified larynx? does that really affect your voice?

obligatory i am not a vocologist, this is just what i've learned as a trans singer (and someone who used to be a voice teacher and hopes to be again someday) from articles and professionals who work with or are vocologists.

calcification of the cartilage in the larynx (the tissues becoming harder and less flexible due to a buildup of calcium) typically begins around age 18 and the cartilage will begin to ossify (turn into bone) in the late 20s or early 30s. most people in the field of study around the human voice say that the laryngeal tissue of "women" (people who were assigned female at birth, not accounting for folks on hrt) tends to complete ossification in the late 20's and for "men" (people who were assigned male at birth, not accounting for folks on hrt) in the early 30s. there hasn't been as much research done on trans voices, for obvious reasons. i found one study done on one transgender man, and there is a book about teaching trans voices that i have not read yet as it is pretty expensive.

while everyone's voice and body will react differently to hrt, in general: if you (a person assigned female at birth) start testosterone before calcification begins, your voice will develop pretty much exactly like someone who was assigned male at birth that is not on any sort of puberty blockers or hrt. your larynx will grow and tilt (which is what causes an "adam's apple"), and your vocal folds will thicken and lengthen along with your larynx, and (most likely) it will follow a "male" pattern of calcification and ossification.

if you start before your larynx begins to ossify but after it begins to calcify, depending on the degree of calcification, you might have more difficulty adjusting to vocal changes, your larynx might not grow as much, which means your vocal folds won't have as much space to lengthen, but it won't be an extremely noticeable difference.

if you start after your larynx begins to ossify, it will be similar to the above. depending on the degree of ossification, your larynx may not grow much or at all, and your vocal folds might not lengthen much or at all. they will still thicken so the voice will still drop, but you might notice that you can't produce as much volume or depth of tone as an average cis man.

if you start after your larynx has ossified, the larynx will not grow so the vocal folds won't have room to lengthen, but they will still thicken so the voice will still drop. you will likely not be able to produce as much volume or depth of tone as an average cis man.

which all sounds kind of scary, especially when you get to the post-ossification stage, but it's really not. in terms of vocal capability (not what your voice sounds like in the moment but what it's physically capable of sounding like), the only time you might see significant differences between your voice and the average cis man's is when you're singing, particularly if you're singing in a genre that requires a lot of depth like opera. for just speech, most people on testosterone have the vocal capability of matching a cis man's.

a myth i've heard a lot is that "tranny voice/t voice" is caused by the above changes (calcification and ossification etc.), but it actually has a lot more to do with speech patterns, the way you produce sound, not your physical vocal mechanism. if you grew up using speech patterns that are generally associated with "women", speaking more forward in the mouth, upspeak, less space at the back of the throat, less lifting of the soft palate, when your vocal folds start to lengthen and the pitch of your voice drops, that usual buzzy resonance can sound out of place to cis ears. if you love your t voice, then fuck cisnormative vocal standards. speak with whatever tone and resonance you want! trans people should not have to voice train to become palatable to cis people.

however, if you do want to train your voice to make it sound more like a cis man's would, exercises that encourage you to lift your soft palate and open your throat will help with that. some people have success with picturing the voice "coming from" further back in your mouth (which will give you a darker resonance) rather than close to your nose or teeth (which will give you a more forward resonance).

but of course, as with most discussions around hrt, it really does depend on how your body responds. everyone's voice is unique, and everyone's journey is unique.

this article goes a little more in depth about the actual process of calcification and ossification when it comes to singing, but it's quite technical and is mostly talking about classical singing.

[sneezeshame]

a scenario where someone just catches cold after cold back to back for weeks, each time just clearing up enough to breathe through their nose for a night or two before getting hit with another scratchy throat and runny nose. they’re so worn down and miserable and can’t believe it’s happening again when they still have a cough from the last one. they never stay home sick and instead push themselves further, putting themselves around even more germs with an even more battered immune system, and at a certain point it’s unclear if they keep catching new colds or if its the same one they just can’t shake or maybe they’re wading through multiple bugs at the same time and when they aren’t catching colds they’re suffering from the after effects, a sinus infection, bronchitis, laryngitis, perpetually chapped lips and nostrils, they feel a little achy and shivery all the time, a fever sometimes, day after day where they lose their consanants and their voice blows out and falls into a whisper. the humidifier never leaves their bedside, they go through tissue box after tissue box and bottle after bottle of cold medicine, it’s all relentless, they can’t remember the last time they slept well and soundly without snoring stuffiness or coughing or sneezing or other cold-related misery and they’re tired all the time, and then finally, once they get a chance to rest a bit, they’re hit with the massive cold/flu bug that’s been going around, the worst of the season, and they wake up so sick they’re knocked off their feet entirely, their sinuses a dense, hulking mass, their throat a swollen sandpaper tube against their enormous swollen tonsils and larynx, their ears plugged, their eyes watering, their body shaking under layers of blankets, and the membranes of their poor, inflamed nostrils so irritated and red that any sniffle creates a tickle for an explosion of snot. their immune system is so absolutely shot that it hits worse than it hit anyone else they know who got it (and certainly worse than their partner who gave it to them), and suddenly they’re sick in their dark, quiet bedroom, the humidifier chugging on high, tissues littering the floor, their body begging for the rest and care it needs to feel better. their partner, who was worried about this, finally succeeds in driving them to the doctor, where they’re put on strict bedrest for the next two weeks to recover from the miserable onslaught that’s been their life for the past few months. when they get home and find themselves laid up in bed chock full of antibiotics for all their infections and the heaviest severe cold and flu medicine available, having run the full gauntlet of cold and flu season proper, there’s nothing left to do but sleep.

[drawonescenet]

Hi! long time with no uploads from me, so here you go!!

3 sketches and 1 complete illustration! Hinata during the "Poor Unfortunate Souls " scene. In my AU Fanfic, both Hinata and Sakura give up their voices and become human, but it is also at this moment that they get separeted in the story, so the scene is told from Hinata's perspective. I will add a little fragment from the story, I hope you like it.

Than you all for the support, likes, rebblogs and comments.

I would also appreciate if you could visit my Deviantart account :

Now, for the story, enjoy.

" There has been a beautiful duet echoing at the witch's lair just a moment ago.

Hinata, princess of the underwater kingdom of The Hyuga, had reluctantly signied her name to a magical contract along her best friend Sakura, her lady in wating, to give up their voices in exchange of becoming humans for 3 months. Sakura's desperation to be with a human prince she had fallen in love for and her own unwillingness to marry Prince Toneri, of the Otsusuki Kingdom, had led them to the sea witch lair. Orochimru, powerful in magic as rumor had him, made a special incantantion:

Beluga, sevruga, come winds of

the Caspian Sea

Larynxes, glossitis

Et max laryngitis

Le loro voce to me!

Now, sing! Compelled by the magic at play Hinata started singing against her will, as if a force was pulling at her very vocal chords, she and Sakura sang loud and beautifly. unabel to move or stop. Two pairs of hands appeared from the cauldron menacingly moving towards each of the singing mermaids. Fear gripped Hinata's heart as she tried to resist the magic suronding her. She couldn't see Sakura, but she could hear her her loud and clear as she also sang. Then one of the hands brushed away her hair, Hinata flinched at the ghostly apparition's touch, but her voice did not waver. Sh eopened her eyes, facing one of the two hands that had stop right in front of her. Keep Singing!! The witch shouted. Hinata knew that her voice was now under the complete control of the witch, she no longer had any way of resistng her, being able only to watch as the gosthy hand went for her moth, her eyes closing as she felt it dive dow her throat. It lasted but a moment, hearing hers and Sakura's singing, when she felt the hand leaving her. Hinata had gently closed her lips the moment she felt the evil apparition exit her mouth. Opening her eyes she saw it. Her voice in the form of a shinning golden pearl, singing her song and trapped in the hands grasp. Clutching her neck in absolute shock, Hinata could only watch as her voice  was captured in a seashell with another one for Sakura's voice. At that moment, it began. The cauldron erupted in light and smoke creating two bubbles that encapsulated the mermaids. Hinata squirmed inside her magical cocoon, her face twisted in pain as she silently scremed. Her tail split in two forming two beautiful legs and in a last pulse of light, her bubble burst, realising her of the pain, but leaving her helplessly trying to swim as she was now unabel to breath underwater. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Sakura struggling to swim to the surface. Meanwhile the witch was laughing out of control, an insane look in his eyes. He made a gesture with his hands and Hinata felt and impuls pulling her upwards, almost unconsious she reaches the surfece and emerges, fliping her hair as she brakes waters, breathing in the so needed air. Fortunately the witch had sent her near the shoreline, so she swam as best as she could reaching for the lands. her last thoughts where of Sakura and what had been of her, she wasen't here in the shore, so maybe the witch had capture her? Hinata could only wonder as the last of her consiousness slipped and everything went dark, the moon and the stars bathing her new human form with their light."

[monikatouhou]

🌻

The vagus nerve originates in the skull, but innervates organs all the way down to the transverse colon, providing parasympathetic innervation. (doesnt innervate the adrenal glands though. They do not need the parasympathetic innervation)

Also, (and its very possible you already know this) one of its branches, the recurrent laryngeal nerve, splits off from the vagus just by the aortic arch, goes under it, and then goes all the way back up to the larynx. It still takes this nonsense detour in other animals, even very long-necked ones like giraffes, and would have likely done the same in sauropods.

[script-a-world]

Submitted via Google Form:

Hi, I want my aliens to look human but inside the body they have different/unique body parts/configurations. Like they have two stomachs or a herbivore stomach, several hearts. What if the stomach was above the heart? Or some completely new organ/glands like idk one that can do photosynthesis or that does different jobs like idk the liver/pancreas is a combined one organ or some mix inbetween. I'm not sure where I can make things up in a way that makes sense other than just dropping them in just for fun.

Tex: Stomachs are usually below hearts because of gravity reasons, I believe, but there’s plenty of opportunity to have organs in different positions or different types of organs in a humanoid body according to different ecological needs. What does the environment of the species you’re building for look like? What would they need in terms of adaptations for food, solar radiation, and climate?

Utuabzu: If you're going to go deep into the internal biology of your aliens, you might want to consider their evolutionary history. Anatomy isn't always very efficient, because it doesn't necessarily need to be. A feature just needs to not be seriously detrimental to persist. For instance, our eyes have a blind spot because the blood vessels are actually in front of the cornea, which means that there's a hole in the cornea that the blood vessels enter through. This is a feature shared by all vertebrates (animals with spines), and thus must have been a feature of our most recent common ancestor. Our brains just fill in that gap with guesswork and information from the other eye, and move on. The recurrent laryngeal nerve, which controls the muscles of the larynx (which are required for speech), actually loops under the aorta, and is thus far longer than it needs to be, because deep in our evolutionary past that route was more direct, and this overly long route is not detrimental to our survival and reproduction, so it is not selected against.

Basically, even the weirdest anatomical features exist for a reason, usually either that they are serving a function, used to serve a function but no longer do and their presence doesn't impede survival or reproduction, or are the result of a random mutation and are not impeding survival or reproduction. In many cases, even the seemingly useless features do actually do something, for instance the human appendix acts as a reservoir for gut microbiota that can then repopulate the intestines after an… event that removed much of it. So, my advice is that if you're going to go into detail about the species internal anatomy, ask yourself why any given odd feature exists and if it aids or impedes survival and reproduction, because that's what dictates which features persist and which do not.

Miri: There’s a doctor on youtube who has a done a series of videos on the Games Workshop Space Marines and their anatomical alterations: https://youtu.be/7OXjNpNpWXw?si=zzlhO2FpQbaUuD5v