A closer look
Only humans possess a uvula, that fleshy little teardrop-shaped punching bag hanging menacingly at the back of your throat. Its primary function is to secrete massive amounts of thin saliva to keep your throat lubricated and to close off your nasal passage so food does not shoot out of your nose when you swallow. While other primates get by just fine without one, human anatomy demands a specialized, dangly mucus-dispenser just to handle the complex mechanics of speech and eating. Unfortunately, this anatomical marvel also tends to flop around like a dying fish while you sleep, contributing heavily to the obnoxious, relationship-destroying symphony of snoring. You can thank human evolution for granting you the gift of complex vocal language, packaged alongside a vibrating throat-sack that sounds like a chainsaw starting up at two in the morning
