Why are the roofs of our mouths all ridge-y?
343345
the ridges you speak of are called rugae (Roo-gay).  these developmental ridges in the palate are a normal part of human development.  some people have more pronounced ridges than others.  the roof of the mouth has many important structures that govern the surface texture--blood vessels, salivary glands, taste buds, nerves, orifi, etc.
791117
Like any structure in an organism, tongues evolved over time through small changes (mutations) which placed each successive individual at a slight advantage within the species.  That individual had some advantage, probably longevity, which allowed for greater success in reproduction.  This allowed the mutation to be passed on to future generations.  The tongue as we know it today, is the result of accumulations of countless mutations over a long period of time.\n\nIn terms of what they might look like in a million years - who knows?  It is pure speculation - can you think of a new 'model' of the tongue that would place an individual at an advantage over other members of the species and allow them to be more successful in terms of reproduction/survival etc..?
363445
It's actually a painful "freezing" of your esophagus. Many people claim putting your tongue on the roof of you mouth helps. When you do that it does apply a little pressure on your upper esophagus; maybe that does help?
179992
Awesome!  lol\n\nBut to try to avoid the ridge across the back of your pants, sometimes they are necessary.
360341
We have an atmosphere and weather.  That is always changing the surface of the earth.  Erosion takes place and over time things flaten out.\nIn other cases the craters are still there, they just happen to be so large the only way we see them is through pictures from satellites.  The vegitation also help mask the craters
315856
I'm not sure why but i guess its because some people have short facial muscles. Oh yeah, I'm one of those people who have dimples.
573124
Yay, I'm not the only one!!!  Have you noticed that happens less in the Winter?  It's mostly allergy related, my dentist said I have an extra bone in the roof of my mouth that is common, and that, with the addition of allergies, even if you don't think you have them, the "skin" there strethches, gets tiny little tears and then itches when it's healing...a fast solution is to lightly brush the roof of your mouth so that you don't ake any more tears, rinse with Listerine, and then rinse or drink sips of ice water.  If all else, fails, and if yours seems worse at night like mine, take a Benadryl allergy---awesome stuff and gets rid of it completely!!  this only happens to me maybe once a week during the spring.summer and maybe once a month in the winter
1058280
Perhaps it is the sweat going in your mouth. I thought that sweat was supposed to be salty, but I guess yours is different.
779713
I believe it's because the keratin that makes up your nails grows at different rates - the top grows slightly faster than that on the bottom causing them to cuve.
856839
some might say that it's to reduce sweat or to provide protection for our eyes but our eyebrows do that fine, and the eyes don't seem to need the ridges so much  because just a hard covering in that area is enough, there doesn't really need to be a ridge for it to protect. besides if we needed them for that purpose, then surely we must have needed it since we were ape shaped, and if we still needed it just the same, then wouldn't they still be as pronounced as they were then?\n\ni think they are an evolutionary byblow that denotes our ancestry. \nthey probably have more to do with the developing shape of our brains, our birth and the maintenance of optimum conditions for our heads. \n\nthey lack the same definition in our heads that our evolutionary predecessors had. In pre homo sapien man they were much more pronounced, which means to me that we had need for these ridges then: we probably needed that part of our brain more, our environment probably had a hand in it too and maybe even how we physically used that part of our heads, but things have changed now so nature must have recognised that we don't need them anymore, and she's sorting it out by getting rid of it in her own inimitable way. she's so incorrigible isn't she?
799943
because the earth is tilted
124801
that's only true in the northern hemisphere. it's because moss likes shade, and the north side of anything in the northern hemisphere is the shady side
645360
Actually, I think we're thinking of this backwards.\n\nThe uvula is more likely to be an evolutionary remnant rather than a structure with a true purpose.  Early land animals probably had independent structures for breathing and eating (i.e. a distinct nasotracheal tube and a distinct pharyngoesophagus) as do modern ocean mammals like dolphins and whales.\n\nThe theory is that at some point (God know's why... and I'm sure He is the only one) the tubes crossed and coalesced into the nasopharyngeal cavity that humans now have.  The wall that once separated the tubes receded, the lower part becoming the epiglottis and the upper part becoming the soft palate and uvula.  \n\nThis also explains why the trachea is in front of the esophagus and the need for an epiglottis to even exist.  The soft palate and the posterior wall of the nasopharynx act as a barrier for food from going up the nose.  The uvula on the other hand literally just hung on for the ride.  ;)
909531
Man, EVERYone says "wisdom teeth crowd the others" and in dental school the party line was that this doesn't happen.  But it's like all the UFO sightings...if enough people make the claim, you begin to wonder!\n\n(the other one that keeps me scratching my head is the "My teeth were fine till I had two kids; the baby must have sucked the calcium out of my teeth!"  don't even get me started..)\n\nAnyway, your teeth generally follow the arch they are in due to light constant pressure from your lips and your tongue.  Therefore, IF the wis. teeth are pushing them, if you remove them, your musculature should have a corrective effect.\n\nOn the other hand, teeth generally tend to "drift" to the front and the middle, so once there they may want to stay.\n\nConsult an orthodontist, perhaps.  Good luck!!
700969
some, like our skull, which starts in 4 plates I think, grow together into one or fuse. That's why we have a "soft spot" as newborns. Others must be the same.
336137
sometimes, if we are chewing too fast, or have too much in our mouth.  It hurts a lot!  then you have to be careful, not to re-bite it...until it settles down. \n\nSlow down, and you can avoid chomping on your cheek or worse...the side of your tongue.
188517
Squamous epithelium provides a good cover protecting your tissues from the outside world (the inside of your mouth is still considered "outside" as far as your body is concerned).\n\nYour cheek cells are not absorbent nor secretory. they just cover. That's why they're flat. They also need to be replaced often, so the flatness helps with the flaking off and dying part of the cycle.