Key Things You Need to Know About Human Ribs
Ribs are bony rods in the human body fixed to the sternum or the breast bone to form a protective natural cage for the vital organs. These organs include the heart, lungs, a large portion of the liver, and the spleen. Furthermore, the ribs help to give the chest cavity its shape to assist in breathing.
Human ribs are among the most vital bones in the body due to the essential function of safeguarding the critical organs. One question that is so common is the number of ribs that humans have.
Here are some things you may need to know about human ribs:
Ribs functions
Ribs assume the shape of a structure like a cage making it possible to enclose the most important organs. Due to that, they are referred to as the rib cage. Furthermore, because they have to work as a collection of bones, if one rib is broken, it can affect the structure and the functioning of the organs. Although ribs are so essential and protective, they can turn into killer bones by piercing those organs if they are badly fractured.
Ribs Are Found in all Vertebrates
Ribs are not only found in humans only but all vertebrates. However, humans are unique and have an intricate rib cage that comprises the ribs and the sternum. The rib cage is also called the thoracic cage due to where it is found in the chest or the thorax.
The ribs link up with the sternum on the front end and to the thoracic vertebrae in on the back end. They also give more support to the collarbone, also known as the pectoral girdle. While the ribs can fracture easily, the sternum is a strong hard-to-break bone and is located in the front of the critical organs.
The Number of Ribs in Men and Women
Due to the biblical story of Eve having been fashioned from Adam’s ribs, there is a false narrative that women have more ribs than men. However, it’s not true at all, and the sex of a person has no impact on the number of ribs they have. All humans have 12 pairs of ribs, giving a total of 24. But a crucial thing to note is that the females are believed to have a 10% smaller rib cage in volume than the males of a similar height.
There are exceptions to the general rule of both men and women having equal number of ribs, and this is due to genetic abnormalities present at birth. Some instances are witnessed where people have fewer ribs (agenesis of ribs) and also cases of excess ribs, also known as supernumerary ribs.…
