2007-03-13 03:32:14 · 16 answers · asked by Liz S 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Biology
The Adam's apple is a prominent bump on a man's throat. It is caused by the underlying cartilage and ligaments of the larynx or voice box. The larynx protects the vocal cords from injury.
But, boys have vocal cords and a voice box, so why don't boys have an Adam's apple? Well, they do. But during puberty, a boy's vocal cords become significantly longer, allowing him to switch from soprano to baritone. These new, longer cords require a larger container, so to speak, so the larynx also grows to accommodate them. The larger larynx is simply easier to see. This is also the reason that women do not appear to have an Adam's apple, although, of course, they do have one. Generally, women have higher voices than men: this means they have shorter vocal cords and a smaller larynx. Their larynx is just not as noticeable. Also, women generally tend to have a greater percentage of body fat than men do. This fat hides the larynx and gives the neck a smoother appearance. Large or small, the larynx earns its keep protecting the vocal cords, but beware a direct hit to the larynx: it is still a sensitive area and is vulnerable to fractures.
2007-03-13 03:36:28 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 1⤋
Though sometimes it may not seem so, there are in fact many women who have Adam's Apples just as prominent as men, and there are also many men who have no visible Adam's Apple.
The 'core' of an Adam's Apple (pardon the pun) is the larynx. Everyone's larynx gets larger as they grow, and a larger larynx makes a person's voice deeper. Which is why children have higher-pitched voices than adults, and also why most women have higher-pitched voices than men.
Much of the difference between women and men usually arises during puberty. The flush of hormones surging through a typical teenager's body causes all kinds of changes, most of them different for men and women. This is just an example of one of them - most men develop a slightly larger larynx than most women at that time, and the cartilage plates that surround and protect it are likewise enhanced, becoming a larger Adam's Apple.
Some people have some of that cartilage shaved off for cosmetic reasons. Most of them do okay afterward, so it appears that the Adam's Apple doesn't really do too much anyway.
If you're looking for a possible evolutionary reason for such a development, it's probably centered more around being able to tell a man's voice from a woman's voice than anything else. But that's just complete guesswork.
2007-03-15 18:40:10 · answer #2 · answered by Doctor Why 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
All women have an Adam's apple. It's just that some are more pronounced than others. It has to do with the pitch of your voice. Men tend to have them because their voices are so deep.
2007-03-13 10:35:19 · answer #3 · answered by mikah_smiles 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
For the same reason that some men don't have them.
If a woman has a deep voice then she will end up with one. If a man has a high voice he won't.
It's all in the size of the vocal cords.
Deep Voice = Long Cords
High Voice = Short Cords...
2007-03-13 10:46:15 · answer #4 · answered by Pabs 4 · 1⤊ 2⤋
if you go to thailand most women have an adams apple !!
2007-03-13 11:03:39 · answer #5 · answered by Alan S 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I t has something to do with the voice, the more pronounced the deeper the voice I was led to believe?
2007-03-13 10:41:15 · answer #6 · answered by SUPER-GLITCH 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, Ann Coulter is actually a man/woman combo.
2007-03-13 10:38:13 · answer #7 · answered by Buck Flair 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I have never, ever seen such a woman, and I have been around for a long time.
2007-03-13 16:44:46 · answer #8 · answered by Anthony F 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Cos their MEN!
2007-03-13 10:35:01 · answer #9 · answered by Katie 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
born a man?
2007-03-13 10:35:49 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋