Nasal cavity
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The Nasal cavity is the inside of your nose.
[edit] Function
The nasal cavity is divided into a right and left passageway. The tissue that covers the wall of your nasal cavity contains many blood vessels. Heat from the blood in the vessels helps warm the air as you breath. Moisture is added to the air you breath by special cells in the walls of the nasal cavity. The air is warmed and moistened before it reaches your lungs. Cilia (small hairs) and mucus along the inside wall of the nasal cavity trap and remove dust and germs from the air as it flows through the nasal cavity. The cillia move the mucus down the nasal cavity to the pharnyx, where it can be swallowed.
[edit] Location
The nasal cavity is covered by the nasal bone above and by the maxilla and ethmoid bone on the sides. The top of the inside of the mouth separates the nasal cavity from the mouth. The nasal cavity is divided in two by a vertical fin called the nasal septum. On the sides of the nasal cavity are three horizontal outgrowths called turbinates. These turbinates guide the air throught the nasal cavity. The vomeronasal organ is found at the back of the septum and has a role in finding pheremone.
[edit] Diseases
Diseases of the nasal cavity include viral infections and nasal cavity cancer.
