ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Modiolus (face)

The modiolus is a part of the face that helps us move our lips when we talk, eat, or smile. It's like a little knot of muscles and nerves that controls the movements of our mouth.

Think of it like the strings on a puppet: just like the strings control the puppet's movement, the modiolus controls our lip movements.

But here's the catch: unlike the strings on a puppet, the modiolus is alive! It's made up of nerves and muscle fibers that connect to different parts of our face, including our cheeks, chin, and jaw.

So when we want to move our lips in a certain way, our brain sends signals to the modiolus, which then contracts or relaxes different muscle fibers to create the desired movement. For example, if we want to smile, the modiolus will activate the muscles around our mouth and pull our lips upwards.

Overall, the modiolus is an important part of our facial anatomy that helps us communicate and express ourselves.