It would seem that scientists have already got to know every part of the human body. It turns out to be wrong thinking, as proven by Swiss researchers who discovered a hitherto unknown layer of the masseter muscle responsible for moving the jaw.
- The masseter muscle is located inside the cheeks, thanks to which we can bite and chew
- Swiss scientists have discovered a hitherto unknown third layer of this muscle
- “While it is generally accepted that anatomical research over the past 100 years has covered everything, our discovery is somewhat akin to the discovery of a new species of vertebrate by zoologists” — researchers say
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The masseter muscle and the new layer
The masseter is the most prominent muscle mandible. It allows you to move the jaw, and thus bite and chew. So far, textbooks anatomy described two parts of it: superficial and deep. Dr Szilvia Mezey from the Faculty of Biomedicine of the University of Basel and prof. Jens Christoph Türp from the University Center for Dental Medicine in Basel described the structure of the masseter muscle, taking into account a third, so far undiscovered, even deeper layer.
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“This deep part of the masseter muscle clearly differs from the other two layers in terms of course and function” — explains dr. Mezey. This layer contributes to the stabilization of the lower jaw, and is the only part of the rumen to pull the lower jaw back.
In the scientific journal “Annals of Anatomy” researchers propose to name it Musculus masseter pars coronidea, that is, the pitted layer of the masseter muscle.
The rest of the article is available under the video:
Like the discovery of a new species
The structure of the rumen, previously described in textbooks, raised doubts among scientists. Gray’s Anatomy, 1995, describes three layers, but from studies in other species. The 2000 study also considered three layers, but this was due to the additional division of the superficial layer.
“Due to these conflicting descriptions, we wanted to re-examine the structure of the masseter muscle comprehensively” — says Türp. “While it is generally accepted that anatomical research over the past 100 years has covered everything, our discovery is a bit like the discovery by zoologists of a new species of vertebrates” — he adds.
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Scientists made the discovery using numerous methods. They looked at anatomical specimens fixed in formalin, and using computed tomography and muscle samples, they examined the corpses of people who agreed that their bodies should be used for scientific purposes after death. They also performed nuclear magnetic resonance imaging on a live volunteer.
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