Adult humans are anatomically incapable of breathing and swallowing at the exact same time because the epiglottis must cover the larynx to prevent food and liquid from entering the lungs.

A closer look

Adult humans are anatomically incapable of breathing and swallowing at the exact same time because the epiglottis must cover the larynx to prevent food and liquid from entering the lungs. This minor design flaw means the same tube used for life-sustaining oxygen is right next to the one used for devouring questionable microwave burritos. As infants, we could actually do both simultaneously to allow for continuous nursing, but we lose this ability as our voice boxes drop during development. Evolution basically traded our choking hazard immunity in exchange for the ability to complain vocally about our jobs, a trade-off that seems incredibly foolish the second you accidentally inhale a crumb of dry toast