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How does swallowing navigate a shared passage?

Food and air travel through a shared region of the throat, but they need different destinations. Swallowing coordinates movements that carry food toward the esophagus while protecting the airway. The transition from moving food around the mouth to the largely automatic sequence below it involves several muscles and nerves working together.

5–7 min

Questions you could explore

  • Why is swallowing more than food simply falling downward?

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Why won’t an antibiotic treat a viral cold?

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How does swallowing navigate a shared passage? | Speech Topic | speaking.app