Home

Your Nose

A big batch of cookies coming out of the oven. Your gym bag full of dirty clothes. How do you smell these smells and thousands more? It's your nose, of course.

Your nose lets you smell and it's a big part of why you are able to taste things. The nose is also the main gate to the respiratory system, your body's system for breathing. Let's be nosey and find out some more about the nose.

Nose Parts
  • The nose has two holes called nostrils. The nostrils and the nasal passages are separated by a wall called the septum. Deep inside your nose, close to your skull, your septum is made of very thin pieces of bone.
  • Behind your nose, in the middle of your face, is a space called the nasal cavity. It connects with the back of the throat. The nasal cavity is separated from the inside of your mouth by the palate (roof of your mouth).
  • Your nose is also a two-way street. When you exhale (breathe out) the old air from your lungs, the nose is the main way for the air to leave your body. But your nose is more than a passageway for air. The nose also warms, moistens, and filters the air before it goes to the lungs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

  • A thin layer of tissue inside of your nose is called a mucous membrane. This membrane warms up the air and moistens it. Mucous captures dust, germs, and other small particles that could irritate your lungs.
  • If something does get trapped in there, you can probably guess what happens next. You sneeze.

Sniff, Sniff, Take a Whiff
The nose allows you to make scents of what's going on in the world around you. Just as your eyes give you information by seeing and your ears help you out by hearing, the nose lets you figure out what's happening by smelling. It does this with help from many parts hidden deep inside your nasal cavity and head.

Identifying smells is your brain's way of telling you about your environment. Have you ever smelled your toast burning? In an instant, your brain interpreted the smell and a problem and you knew to check on your toast.

Your sense of smell also can help you keep safe. For example, it can be warn you not to eat something that smells rotten or help you detect smoke before you see a fire.

Tastes Great!
Most people just think of the tongue when they think about taste. But you couldn't taste anything without some help from the nose! The ability to smell and taste go together because odors from foods allow us to taste more fully.
Take a bite of food and think about how it tastes. Then, pinch your nose and take another bite. Notice the difference? It's just another reason to appreciate your knockout of a nose!

-----------------------------------------------

This information has been taken from: www.kidshealth.com