What Does Your Uvula Actually Do?

You know that funny little thing that hangs down in the back of your throat? That s your uvula. But what does it actually do? Hank Green explains in this new episode of SciShow! ---------- Dooblydoo thanks go to the following Patreon supporters -- we couldn t make SciShow without them! Shout out to Justin Ove, David Campos, Chris Peters, Philippe von Bergen, Lilly Grainger, Happy Birthday!!, Fatima Iqbal, and Justin Lentz. ---------- Like SciShow? Want to help support us, and also get things to put on your walls, cover your torso and hold your liquids? Check out our awesome products over at DFTBA Records: http://dftba.com/scishow Or help support us by becoming our patron on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/scishow ---------- Looking for SciShow elsewhere on the internet? Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/scishow Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/scishow Tumblr: http://scishow.tumblr.com Instagram: http://instagram.com/thescishow Sources: Etymology of “uvula” http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=uvula Why do we have a uvula?: literature review and a new theory http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2273.2004.00886.x/abstract Structure of the human uvula http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00016489950180685 A histological comparison of the uvula between snorers and non-snorers http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/enhanced/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2273.1995.tb01591.x Morphology of the uvula in obstructive sleep apnea http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2782743