What's That Bone? "Verts"

Verts. Which is the colloquial term from vertebrae.

Just to clarify - vertebra (singular) and vertebrae (plural)

Each person typically has 24 vertebrae (though I have encountered one or two individuals with random extra verts). Technically, the sacrum (the green-colored part of the picture) and the coccyx (the purple) also counts as part of the human vertebral column, but I'm going to stick with the cervical, thoracic, and the lumbar portions of the vertebrae.

There are 7 cervical, 12 thoracic, and 5 lumbar vertebrae. A previous instructor once told me of an easy way to remember this. You eat breakfast at 7, lunch at 12, and dinner at 5.

The very first vertebra is called the atlas. One way to remember this is that this vertebra supports the head, similar to how in Greek mythology Atlas holds up the heavens. there is a famous sculpture where he holds up the world.

The second cervical vertebra is called the axis. I remember that it is called this because the axis vertebra is the vert that allows the head to rotate from side to side.

So, while there are a lot of verts, and most of the time they look the same, I have learned some tricks in order to distinguish them from one another. However, I have to say, that most of my knowledge about verts comes from my experience with verts. I love working with verts, even when they're in pieces and you have to put them back together.

While in the lab, I have seen really nice verts, which are wrapped in its specific sections. I've also seen them practically destroyed. When I first started out, it was really hard to pinpoint where all of the verts went, but over time, I've been able to recognize the specific signs.

But that's a lesson that I've learned while working in the lab this year. You can read all of the books, take as many classes, and ace as many exams as possible, but working in the lab really gives you experience that eclipses almost everything else.