20 Interesting Facts About Human Nose, For Kids

Fascinating facts about the human nose to enrich your child’s knowledge.

Medically reviewed by Dr. Neema Shrestha, MD Dr. Neema Shrestha Dr. Neema ShresthaMD facebook_iconlinkedin_iconinsta_icon Specialty: Neonatology and PediatricsExperience: 5 years
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Diagram Of The Nose For Kids

Learning some fun facts about the nose for kids can be fascinating. The nose is among the body’s vital sense organs, responsible for breathing and smelling. It’s the sole visible portion of your respiratory system, made up of mucus secretions and hair-like structures (cilia) that keep foreign substances out of your lungs and body.

The air enters the nostrils, passes down the throat, and eventually reaches the lungs when we inhale. Similarly, when we breathe in, many small nerve endings in the linings of the nostril retrieve odors and send information about them to your brain to react.

This post discusses fun facts about the nose and its functions.

Diagram Of The Nose For Kids

Parts of the nose diagram for kids
Image: IStock

Parts Of The Nose

The nose acts as the main gateway of the respiratory system. Your nose helps you smell things and also plays a significant role in helping you taste things.

Before we learn some amazing facts about the nose, let us first know about the main parts of the nose (1) (2).

Nostrils

The nose has two holes called nostrils, which are separated from each other by the septum.

Septum

The two nostrils are separated by a wall of flexible cartilage called the septum. The septum is not as hard as the bones but is much firmer than muscle and skin. It extends from the nostril openings to the nasopharynx.

Nasopharynx

The nasopharynx is located at the base of your skull and above the roof of your mouth. It connects the nose to the back of the mouth and allows you to breathe through your nose.

Nasal cavity

In the middle of the face and behind the nose is an air-filled space called the nasal cavity. The nasal cavity is separated from the mouth by the palate. This cavity connects directly with the back of the throat.

When you inhale from the nostrils, the air enters the nasal passage and into the nasal cavity. From the nasal cavity, the air enters the back of the throat, then into the trachea (windpipe), and finally into the lungs.

Mucous membrane

The nasal cavity is lined with a mucous membrane, a thin, moist layer of tissue that warms and moistens the air before it enters the lungs. This membrane also helps produce mucus, which helps trap dust particles, germs, etc.

Cilia

The mucous membrane is lined with tiny, microscopic hair-like projections known as cilia. These are found at the back of the nose and also as a lining in the air passages. They keep moving back and forth to keep the mucus and debris out of the back of the nose and lungs.

Olfactory epithelium

The olfactory epithelium is present on the roof of the nasal cavity. It consists of many different odor receptors. For a specific smell, a particular receptor is stimulated. The brain then interprets the receptor signal to identify the scent.

20 Fascinating Facts About The Nose For Kids

  1. Your nose can detect more than one trillion smells.
  1. An average person takes between 17,280 and 23,040 breaths a day.
  1. A study conducted at the University of Iowa suggests that male noses are 10% larger than female noses.
  1. Your noses are not as big as they appear on selfies. Selfies increase the nasal size by 30% in males and 29% in females.
  1. In 2004, Richard Axel and Linda B. Buck won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their research on olfactory receptors.
  1. The human nose consists of approximately 50 million olfactory receptor cells.
  1. The nose and sinuses together produce around a liter of mucus every day.
  1. Mucus contains chemicals that keep you healthy.
  1. When the air passes through the nasal cavity, it is warmed or cooled to match the body temperature.
  1. The total loss of smell is termed anosmia, also called smell blindness, while the partial loss of smell is called hyposmia.
  1. A heightened or strong sense of smell is known as hyperosmia.
  1. Surgery of the nose done to change its appearance or improve breathing is known as rhinoplasty.
  1. Smells trigger memories. Your sense of smell is directly connected to your brain area where memories and emotions are formed.
  1. A single sneeze produces about 40,000 droplets and travels up to 100 miles per hour.
  1. You don’t sneeze in your sleep because the nerves triggering sneezes are also sleeping along with you.
  1. There are around 14 basic nose shapes.
  1. The human nose cannot smell natural gas. Thus, gas companies add a harmless gas called mercaptan to it for your nose to detect it.
  1. Your nose shapes the sound of your voice.
  1. You should never tilt your head back when your nose bleeds. Instead, you should sit or stand straight with your head leaned slightly forward.
  1. The Maori people in New Zealand press their noses against each other as a greeting. 

The nose is an important part of our body that allows us to breathe and smell, among other functions. Apart from the essential features of the nose, there are also some amazing and fun facts about the nose for kids, such as its ability to detect over one trillion smells, the number of breaths we take each day, the relationship between the nose and memories, the relationship between sleeping and the nasal nerves that cause sneezing. Sharing these nose facts with children and also teach your children the necessity of proper nasal hygiene.

Key Pointers

  • There are many interesting facts for children to learn about the human nose through which the air enters our nostrils.
  • The sound of your voice depends on the shape of your nose, with about 14 different types of shapes.
  • Maori people of New Zealand greet each other by pressing their noses. Many more fascinating facts to know about as you scroll down.

References

  1. Anatomy and Physiology of the Nose and Throat.
    https://www.stanfordchildrens.org/en/topic/default?id=anatomyandphysiologyofthenoseandthroat-90-P02027
  2. Nose.
    https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/21778-nose
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Dr. Neema Shrestha
Dr. Neema ShresthaMD
Dr. Neema Shrestha is a pediatrician with a special interest in the field of neonatology. She has an overall experience of five years working in the field. Currently working in Kathmandu, Nepal, she completed her MBBS from Kasturba Medical College, Manipal in 2008, Diploma in Child Health from D.

Read full bio of Dr. Neema Shrestha
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