ABOUT NOSE
Your nose allows you to smell pleasant smells, like fresh baked cookies and roses and sometimes unpleasant smells, like garbage or sweaty socks. It can also provide helpful warnings, like the scent of something burning. Believe it or not, your nose also helps you taste things!
Parts of the Nose
■ Nostrils
You have two holes in your nose called nostrils. They allow air to flow to the lungs and smells to flow to the olfactory nerves (more on those in a minute).
■ Septum
The wall between your nostrils is called the septum. Near the tip of your nose, the septum is made of cartilage. a flexible, rubbery material. Deeper inside your nose, the septum is made of thin pieces of bone.
■ Nasal cavity
Behind your nose is the nasal cavity, a space that connects with the back of your throat. When you inhale through your nostrils, the air enters the nasal passages and flows into your nasal cavity. From there, the air travels down the back of your throat into the trachea (windpipe) on its way to your lungs.
■Mucous Membrane
The inside of your nose is lined with a mucous mem- brane, a moist, thin layer of tissue that warms up and moist- ens the air before it goes to your lungs.
■Cilia
Cilia are tiny, microscopic hairs that are found in the back of the nose. They keep mucus out of the sinuses and lungs.
■Olfactory Epithelium
The olfactory epithelium is located on the roof of the nasal cavity (the space behind your nose). It contains hundreds of different odor receptors. Different smells stimulate different types of receptors, and the brain interprets the combination of receptors to identify the smell.
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