The axial skeleton contains 80 bones, including the skull, spine and rib cage. It forms the central structure of the skeleton, with the function of protecting the brain, spinal cord, heart and lungs.

The skeletal system is the foundation of your body, giving it structure and allowing for movement. We’ll go over the function and anatomy of the skeletal system before diving into the types of ...

This article, the third in a four-part series, explores the axial skeleton. Part four will look at the appendicular skeleton. There are a total of 206 bones in the human adult body (Tortora and ...

The axial skeleton contains the bones that support the middle of your body, and the a ppendicular skeleton includes bones that make up your appendages (arms and legs) and bones that attach your ...

The origin of tetrapods during the Devonian period, around 350 million years ago, was a key step in vertebrate evolution. The first and arguably the single most important discovery in the study of ...

Before the evolution of legs from fins, the axial skeleton -- including the bones of the head, neck, back and ribs -- was already going through changes that would eventually help our ancestors ...