• Question: why is it that your jaw bone can move back? so that you sort of have a receeding jawline?

    Asked by howestwh to David, Helen, Ian, rhysphillips, Sarah on 19 Jun 2011.
    • Photo: Rhys Phillips

      Rhys Phillips answered on 17 Jun 2011:

      I don’t really know what you mean..?

    • Photo: David Corne

      David Corne answered on 18 Jun 2011:

      I think you must be a mutant.

    • Photo: Helen Fletcher

      Helen Fletcher answered on 19 Jun 2011:

      Our lower jaws can move around so we can mash our food. If lower and upper jaw were both fixed we could tear into meat but would be no good at eating vegetables!

Comments

  • Photo: Helen

    Helen commented on :

    Some more input from the people I work with in the Jenner Institute:
    The jaw \ or mandible is the largest and strongest facial bone. It is used to grind and chew food and can move accordingly. Some people can move their jaws further than others. A receding jaw line is a historic issue as the Victorians who were amongst the first to read Darwin’s theories of evolution considered a weak or receding jaw line to indicate levels of intelligence and trust.