Neck, fragile but great connection!
The secret of life contained in the small space connecting the head and body

A short passage connecting the head and the body, but within it lies the condensation of human evolution and civilization.
Biologist Kent Dunlap's "The Neck Story" is a book that explores humans solely through the lens of the neck.
We breathe, speak, and nod our heads to communicate with the world.
The author explores how the neck has shaped human evolution, survival, relationships, and emotional expression, drawing on anatomy, biology, anthropology, politics, and art history.
This book reads the evolution and history of life through the organ called the throat, and sheds new light on humanity.
Through the neck, a fragile yet powerful connection, we gain a new perspective on the origins of life and humanity.
The neck is the most vulnerable part of the body, but it is also a stage where life and culture are condensed.
As we follow the history of the neck, where evolution and anatomy, religion and art, love and power intersect, a remarkable story of humanity and animals unfolds.

A small area that accounts for less than 1 percent of the body, the neck is where human vitality and vulnerability are concentrated.
Head movements that strongly express attitude and interest are controlled by contraction of the neck muscles.
Everyday speech that carries meaning begins with the vibration of the vocal cords.
All body movements and sensations are possible through electrical signals transmitted through the spinal cord and nerves.
The brain receives blood through pulsating blood vessels, and the body receives air and food through the trachea and esophagus.
The human neck works tirelessly to express and sustain ourselves.
No, I work 'almost' non-stop.
--- From "Entering"

The person who summarized the evolutionary advantages of the neck in the transition to amphibians was the renowned comparative anatomist Carl Gans in the late 20th century.
According to him, the fundamental advantage of the vertebrate neck is that it partially separates the body's sensory and motor systems.
Simply put, having a neck means you can look to one side while moving your body in the opposite direction, and you can look around without moving your body at all.
--- From "Chapter 1 Origin and Function: Why the Neck Exists"


When morning comes, we wake up and raise our heads upright with almost no effort.
After coming to my senses for a second or two, I start moving my head non-stop until night falls again.
The neck has a huge impact on posture and expression, as well as vision and gestures.
The cervical spine supports the head in three dimensions.
And the muscles surrounding the neck give it a fourth-dimensional effect: 'movement in time'.
--- From "Chapter 2 Posture and Expression: The Neck Supporting the Head"

The neck integrates the vision and sense of balance gained from the head with sensations from other parts of the body, giving us a sense of presence.
In particular, the neck also gives us the ability to perceive the outside world for ourselves.
So we see the world left and right, up and down, from different angles and perspectives.
When we add eye and body movements to this, we can see the world in a broader way.
If the neck did not move, human knowledge of the world would be truly limited.
--- From “Chapter 3 Vision and Gestures: The Meaning of Head Movements”

Every time we chew and drink, we must decide whether and when we will perform the nearly irreversible act of swallowing.
Usually, everything goes smoothly and the body gets the nutrients it needs.
But sometimes when the food we swallow deviates from its path, we face the terrifying situation of choking.
We inherited from our fish ancestors a neck that forced us to choose between swallowing and breathing.
Swallowing properly is a matter of life and death.
--- From "Chapter 4: Passage and Transport: The Pathway Connecting the Head and the Body"

In terrestrial vertebrates, thyroid hormone, parathyroid hormone, and calcitonin are all secreted in small amounts from endocrine glands in the neck and affect most cells in the body.
These three hormones regulate physiological processes that were crucial for the evolution of terrestrial life into highly active, warm-blooded mammals.
That is, it controls the ‘speed’ and ‘skeleton’ of human life.
--- From "Chapter 5 Speed ​​and Bone: The Power of Hormones Secreted from the Neck"

Among animals, there is no other organ with such flexibility and such a wide vocal range.
Humans vary the shape of their necks, combine the rhythm of breathing in their rib cage with the rapid movements of their larynx, tongue, and mouth to transform their inner speech into words and transmit them to the world.
This complex process may seem dry and cold when described in technical anatomical terms, but it is actually a way of expressing our most human impulses.
It is thanks to this vibrating mass of flesh that we can recite poetry, sing arias, greet friends, and order pizza.
--- From “Chapter 6 Language and Voice: Words and Songs from the Throat”

Humans know that courtship is a multisensory experience.
Humans are attracted to potential mates based on their appearance, voice, smell, and touch.
However, some animals' courtship signals are focused on one sense, such as overly bright colors or loud sounds, and other senses that are involved in the courtship dance are overlooked.
--- From "Chapter 7 Courtship and Attraction: Sexual Communication Through the Neck"

The neck is a visually prominent area.
The neck is exposed for all to see, and decorations are often worn around the neck to attract attention.
Various neck decorations, such as ties, scarves, lapels, jewelry, and tattoos, express one's identity, affiliation, and status, as well as the group to which one belongs.
If the face is a portrait, the neck expresses social status or individuality through the description added below it.
--- From “Chapter 8 Belonging and Status: Expression of the Identity of the Neck”

The neck is a very important, yet easily strained or broken area.
Because of these biological conditions, the neck has become an object of violence, exploitation, and control.
The history of neck dominance appears in both humans and animals.
Predators usually kill their prey by attacking the neck.
People slaughtered livestock by cutting their throats, placed yokes on their necks, and used leashes to control their pets.
Those in power used simple devices like chains, nooses, and guillotines to restrain, intimidate, and execute the powerless.
These conflicts in the relationships between beast and beast, man and beast, and man and man give rise to complex and sometimes unstable histories.
And most of them targeted a uniquely vulnerable area: the neck.
This fact remains ominously in the dark background of human history.
--- From "Chapter 9 Power and Politics: Aggression and Control Revealed Through the Neck"

The skin of humans and other vertebrates is virtually impermeable to disease-causing bacteria and viruses.
Most pathogens enter the body through the thin, moist membranes of the nose and mouth.
Human anatomy reflects the fact that these threats of invasion originate particularly in the head.
This is because the most intensive immune defense system is located in the neck, just below the main point of invasion.
The neck is densely packed with pea-sized lymph nodes, where white blood cells wait to monitor and attack microscopic invaders.
Of the approximately 800 lymph nodes in the human body, nearly half are located in the neck, a short, narrow passageway between the head and chest.

--- From "Chapter 10 Defense and Healing: The Power to Protect the Neck"