Adam's Apples?

Factual Questions
1

Okay, so I consider myself to be a minor trivia expert, I watch Jeopardy and when I keep score (as in, get a life) usually end up in first, maybe second place. I’ve annoyed many friends by jumping in and explaining some obscure and (to me, anyway) fascinating factoid. I’ve read the sciences extensively, ya da ya da, was convinced I knew enough useless drivel to last a lifetime.

Then, tonight, we’re watching an old ‘Friends’ episode and one of them (Joey, I think; I don’t watch it very often, don’t know the cast) complains about a women he had to dump because she had a really pronounced Adam’s Apple. Everyone except me had a good chuckle, my loving wife finally explained that only men have Adam’s apples; women don’t. Good joke, but … Where the heck did this come from??? Why wasn’t I told???

Okay, so I’ve regained my composure and there are a few obvious questions that spring to mind:

One; is this actually true (not that I’d ever doubt the love of my life but sometimes it’s prudent to get a second opinion)?

B) what other gross anatomical differences are there? (Stop it! I’m not talking about those bits, although I personally know men who have bigger brea … never mind) The whole missing rib thing is a myth. We have minor muscular differences, the reason that there are still women’s and men’s events in the Olympics. All this I know, but this one strikes me as a biggie. Next thing you know, somebody will be telling me that most women have their hearts over there where my liver is.

3 - what the heck is an Adam’s Apple FOR, anyway? If it really only occurs in men, is this some kind of bizzare ascending testicle or something? (BTW, I also have five nipples and I’ve been lead to believe that this, while not exactly normal, is not exactly unusual)

Okay, so I’ve done some preliminary field tests: I have an Apple thingie that’s barely visible but does move around alarmingly when I swallow. My wife has no trace, none. The dogs (one female, one male) have no trace either. The cat (female) couldn’t be held down long enough to check. I’m going to post this and then go down the block knocking on doors …

-E-

Dilbert: But that would be dating myself
Dogbert: Well, it’s not like anyone else would date you

2

Oh heck - I meant to post this in the General Questions forum. Could one of you gracious and kind moderators maybe move this for me? If not, please delete it and I’ll post it again.

Sorry,
-oops-

Dilbert: But that would be dating myself
Dogbert: Well, it’s not like anyone else would date you

3

Until this forum is moved, I’ll just respond here. Are we cool with that?

AFAIK, the Adam’s Apple is the visible bulge of the larynx, or vocal cords. All people have a larynx, and all have the bulge if you feel around for it (I recommend you ask permission first before jabbing your digits into somebody’s neck).

It’s a lot more pronounced (forgive the pun) in men because men have deeper voices. Our voices are deeper because there’s more laryngeal tissue and it’s also looser.

A woman with a large Adam’s Apple is often assumed to be “butch,” suffering from an excess of testosterone, or to be a post-operative transsexual.

That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.

–Da Cap’n

4

I think that at adolescence the Adam’s Apple moves down the throat in males and results in a deeper voice. Female have an Adam’s Apple, but it’s higher and smaller.

Only humans commit inhuman acts.

5

Cool by me, my opinion, and the moderators have the last word. Sorry about the delay but I seem to have a contract where the client actually wants me to show up in their office and do the work. Instead of sitting here in my bathrobe doing the programmin’ thing. Go figure.

Capn: yeah, I hear you - the guy at 302 around the corner was outright surly when he answered the door, I wouldn’t have touched his (thick) neck for, oh … let’s say a hundred bucks …

Okay, so assume that it’s tied to testosterone levels. A short web search told me that we all (M/F) have the things, I didn’t find any specific gender related differences. Thinking about it further, it occurs to me that this is more of an age related thing - I can summon up the image of many many oldish people with obvious neckal bulges; and only a few young people.

OH NO!!! What did those young people know???

Always watching,
-E-

Dilbert: But that would be dating myself
Dogbert: Well, it’s not like anyone else would date you

6

Thanks for moving this - somtimes the fates conspire against us and … well, thanks; this is where the thread belongs.

-E-

Dilbert: But that would be dating myself
Dogbert: Well, it’s not like anyone else would date you

7

No problem. I don’t want Nickrz just sitting around twiddling his thumbs.
Jill

8

Jill, my new godess. I didn’t thank anyone by name because I’d obviously done something stupid and I had no idea who would fix it for me. Many thanks and my unending gratitude, I worship at your feet. This one’s for you, next time you’re in town I buy you many beers.

Goiy to bed now, the ‘client’ thinks I’m gonna be there at 8:00 …

Dilbert: But that would be dating myself
Dogbert: Well, it’s not like anyone else would date you

9

‘Goiy’? What the heck - I just went back and checked notepad and … okay, never mind. Please sub ‘Going’? Tks

10

I was once asked to doctor a picture of a middle aged woman I knew. She wanted less jowls, less wrinkles etc. I explained to her that my finished product also, in defining the shadow under the jaw, included a hint of Adam’s Apple.

She retorted that she wanted such hints removed, because “Women don’t have Adam’s Apples you dolt”.

I contested that, because it was patently absurd. As an artist (of sorts) I observe the human body a fair bit, and I know for certain women have Adam’s Apples. Just because they are less obvious doesn’t mean they’re not there.

There are people out there who truly believe that women really do have more ribs than men, and that they don’t have Adam’s Apples. Old Wives’ Tales reign eternal.

“So what you are telling me, Percy, is that something you have never seen is slightly less blue than something else that you have never seen.”

11

Hey, SN… If I move this over to Great debates, will you worship at my feet?

12

Okay, here it goes,
If there is anything I hate more it is when people “pull rank” however I feel it necessary to do so to clear this inane and riduculous issue up once and for all; being a professor of evolutionary biology at the University of Guelph I will answer the damn “man/woman/adams apple debate” here goes:
All human beings are born and mature in the womb “polymorphously perverse” meaning essentially we all have the same equipment when we start…it just changes along the way.
All human beings are mammals which means primary nutrition is derived from suckling breast milk of the mother. In order to effectively do so the infants throat must be languid enough to allow an adequate flow of milk without choking; thus, the tissue is soft and supple.
As time goes on and the necessity for dependant feeding lessens (puberty) the tissue hardens and the esophaegeal tissue strenghtens. The “adam’s apple” present in men is merely the displacement of tissue by overdeveloped vocal cords relative to the female (thus a deeper voice)
Hence, ALL human beings have an adams apple, EVERYONE can feel it if they search for it… Voice changes being what they are, it appears less prominently in females.
Does this help?? I truly hope so.

13

Umm, Prof. Juancho, I believe that we’ve already stated that here a few times now. Pulling rank is fine, just try to have a sense of timing. :slight_smile:

As to older women’s (and men’s) AAs being more pronounced, the reason is twofold: first, older women tend to lose a lot of fat and other tissue in their necks, making their AA stand out more. Second (this is an educated guess) older women produce a lot less estrogen and a bit more testosterone than when they were younger. the hormonal imbalance, which is also responsible for their increased facial hair, causes the AA to enlarge and the voice to deepen.

–Da Cap’n

14

I like to think the message board is used for questions that can’t be answered through a general search of the web.