The Human Skull Anatomy

In osteology, (the study of bones, with ‘osteo’ meaning bone) the skull is known as the cranium. It supports the structures of the face and protects the brain against injury.

In humans, the adult skull is made up of 28 bones. Except for the mandible (the jaw bone), the bones of the skull are fused together and allow very little movement. As you may already know, when babies are born their skull bones are not all joined in this way and hence their heads are very delicate, especially around the back of the head where there is quite a gap between skull bones.

Interesting side note: The skull protects the brain against injury if there is a blow to the head. In the event that brain damage does occur, it is usually on account of the brain moving around inside the skull and colliding with it, rather than the skull actually being penetrated and the brain being damaged directly.