Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio, Hey brain Stuff, Lauren Vogel Bomb here. The larynx may not get the same amount of attention as the heart or lungs, but it's still an important internal organ nestled in the necks of people and other animals. The larynx helps allow for noisemaking and speech, and is located below the epiglottis, which is the leaf shaped flap that prevents choking by
keeping food and drink out of the lungs. Part of the larynx structure includes the voice box, also sometimes referred to as the vocal chords. It's what makes up the bump that you can see and feel in the middle of your neck, scientifically known as the laryngeal prominence, but more commonly called the Adam's apple. Women have one too,
just often less pronounced. During childhood, the voice boxes of boys and girls are about the same size, but when most boys hit their tween and teen years, their vocal chords hit a growth spurt. The growth causes their voices to crack and eventually results in a deeper and more resonant tone. So let's look at how the voice box or vocal chords work. First off, neither moniker is really accurate.
The vocal chords are actually two bands of flexible, smooth muscle tissue that are located in the larynx, and these muscles vibrate as air moves through them on its way to or from the lungs. They're more properly called folds
instead of chords. We spoke via email with gi Zeppe Araguna m D. He explained during sound production, the vocal folds closed together and start vibrating as air is expelled from the lungs and passes between them and into your mouth, which helps to make the sounds we hear when we're listening to people talk. So, the larynx is made up of a cartilage skeleton that contains the vocal folds covered
by a mucous lining. The folds are extremely adept at changing shape, position, and mention, so the voice can make a range of sounds at a variety of levels. If the larynx becomes inflamed because of illness or injury, the vocal chords can swell and cause laryngitis, which is characterized by a hoarse, gravelly sounding voice or the loss of
one's voice altogether. But we also spoke by email with Taylor Graber m d. He said, if they're swelling to a vocal chord from overuse, cancers, or trauma, the tone and function produced by the vocal cord becomes altered. The sounds can also change by injury to the muscles or to the nerves that innervate or give sensation to the vocal chords. However, there are several sounds that we can produce without a larynx, even speech via whispering. When you whisper,
the vocal chords can stay slack and not vibrate. But this is known as an open throat whisper, and it allows people who are mute to make sound. It's also a helpful technique for people who are resting their voices, such as singers sore those with a sore throat. However, most people don't use this passive technique when they whisper. Instead, they strain to produce a sound, and this can be just as harmful to the vocal cords as shouting. But hey, if humans and other animals all have a larynx, then
why is speaking a uniquely human ability. Our brain formation has something to do with it, but people have an especially complex system comprising the larynx which produces sound, and a flexible mouth, tongue, and lips that, in combination, allows us to generate the precise sounds that language requires. When we talk, air moves from the lungs through the larynx, and that sound is shaped by the extreme fine motor control found in the throat, mouth, tongue, and lips. We
also have a bone called the highoid. This is a U shaped bone situated at the front of throat above the larynx. According to Graber, he said it forms the attachment from multiple muscles and the neck, which aid in tongue movement and swallowing. What's really unusual about this larynx related bone is that it has the distinction of being the only bone in the human body that's free floating, which means it isn't connected to any other bone. Instead,
it's supported by connective tissue. The hyoid is only found in humans and Neanderthals and is believed to be the foundation of our ability to speak. There are about sixty people in the United States who have had their larynx removed, but only a few who have had a larynx transplant. A few people qualify, and if they do, the surgery is complex that takes about eighteen hours, and is hampered
by shortage of larynx available to transplant. However, new initiatives, including lap grown and three D printed larynx, have the potential to help people recover their own voices again. Today's episode was written by Laurie al Dove and produced by Tyler Klang. For more in this and not of other craft topics, visit how stuff works dot com. Brain Stuff
is production of I Heart Radio or more podcasts. My heart Radio visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.