Why do we have lips?

Read my lips... these facial features are more than just for looks.


Lips allow us to chew and swallow with our mouth closed; to hold onto things like nails and clothes pegs, and to suckle at the breast.

But even more importantly, our lips are used in communication. They allow us to smile, to bare our teeth and to kiss. They are also required for about half of the phonemes we use in normal speech, as any ventriloquist will attest.

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