Physical and geometric constraints shape the labyrinth-like nasal cavity.

ABSTRACT: The nasal cavity is a vital component of the respiratory system that heats and humidifies inhaled air in all vertebrates. Despite this common function, the shapes of nasal cavities vary widely across animals. To understand this variability, we here connect nasal geometry to its function by theoretically studying the airflow and the associated scalar exchange that describes heating and humidification. We find that optimal geometries, which have minimal resistance for a given exchange efficiency, have a constant gap width between their side walls, while their overall shape can adhere to the geometric constraints imposed by the head. Our theory explains the geometric variations of natural nasal cavities quantitatively, and we hypothesize that the trade-off between high exchange efficiency and

SUBMITTER: Zwicker D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5866548 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature