The human jaw has just been discovered to have a new body part. Scientists have found a previously unknown body part in the jaw, after the discovery of a novel artery in the arm a few months earlier.
The newly discovered deep layer of muscle is located in the masseter, which is responsible for elevating the lower jaw and chewing. The masseter muscle is said to have two layers: a deep layer and a superficial layer. According to the study, a third stratum was mentioned in a few historical sources, but those places were found to be inconsistent.
The paper, which was published in Annals of Anatomy on December 2, details how scientists discovered a secret ‘super-deep layer’ in the human jaw. Researchers examined 12 human cadaver skulls preserved in formaldehyde to locate this historical element in jaws. They also performed CT scans on 16 fresh cadavers and an MRI on a living individual.
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They discovered an ‘anatomically distinct’ body part based on their assessments: the third layer of the masseter muscle. According to LiveScience, it runs deep from the cheekbones and may be felt immediately in front of the ear. ‘This deep section of the masseter muscle is clearly distinguishable from the two other layers in terms of its course and function’, said first author Szilvia Mezey of the University of Basel in Switzerland.
It serves the function of stabilising the lower jaw when it is ‘elevating and retracting’. The newly found muscle turns out to be the only portion of the masseter capable of pulling the jawbone backwards.
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