When you inhale, why does air go to your lungs instead of your stomach? When you drink or eat, why does that go to the stomach instead of the lungs?
1 Answer
Jan 26, 2016
Because of the epiglottis.
Explanation:
The epiglottis is a flap made of cartilage in the back of the throat that closes when you swallow to direct food to the esophagus/stomach. Otherwise it is open allowing airflow in and out of the lungs.
Read more in the Wikipedia article
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epiglottis
