Your Inner Fish

by

Neil Shubin

One of the more complicated nerves in the human head, along with the trigimenal nerve. The facial nerve serves all the facial muscles and other muscles in the ear, which develop from the second arch in the human embryo.

Facial nerve Quotes in Your Inner Fish

The Your Inner Fish quotes below are all either spoken by Facial nerve or refer to Facial nerve. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Similarities Between All Animals Theme Icon
).
Chapter 5 Quotes

If you want to understand the wiring and plumbing in my building, you have to understand its history, how it was renovated for each new generation of scientists. My head has a long history also, and that history explains complicated nerves like the trigeminal and the facial.

Related Characters: Neil Shubin (speaker)
Page Number: 86
Explanation and Analysis:

What I've just given you is one of the big tricks for understanding the most complicated cranial nerves and large portions of the head. When you think trigeminal nerve, think first arch. Facial nerve, second arch.

Related Characters: Neil Shubin (speaker)
Page Number: 87
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Your Inner Fish LitChart as a printable PDF.
Your Inner Fish PDF

Facial nerve Term Timeline in Your Inner Fish

The timeline below shows where the term Facial nerve appears in Your Inner Fish. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 5: Getting Ahead
Understanding Complex Concepts Through Simple Analogies Theme Icon
...them in “random” paths throughout the head with many different branches. The trigeminal nerve and facial nerve are especially difficult to pin down. (full context)
History of Life  Theme Icon
Understanding Complex Concepts Through Simple Analogies Theme Icon
...ear, as well as sensations in the skin of the face and the teeth. The facial nerve controls the muscles involved in facial expressions as well as more small muscles in the... (full context)
History of Life  Theme Icon
Understanding Complex Concepts Through Simple Analogies Theme Icon
...nerves. The trigeminal nerve serves all the body systems formed by the first arch. The facial nerve follows the path of the second arch. The same pattern holds true for the nerves... (full context)