Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

Familiar term for the scapula, also called the shoulder blade or blade bone, the flat triangular bone at the back of the shoulder.

The thigh bone in anatomy is called the “femur.” Whichever term — thigh bone or femur — you care to use, it is the bone in the leg that extends from the hip to the knee. The thigh bone/femur constitutes the entire upper leg, all of the leg above the knee. As compared to the lower leg…

A large irregular bone that is situated at the base and side of the skull. The temporal bone is connected with the mandible (the jawbone) via the temporomandibular joint.

A prominent, irregular, wedge-shaped bone at the base of the skull. The sphenoid bone has been called the ‘keystone’ of the cranial floor because it is in contact with all of the other cranial bones.

The larger of the two bones in the lower leg. The shin bone is anatomically known as the tibia. Its smaller companion is the fibula.

A little bone that is embedded in a joint capsule or tendon; for example, the kneecap (patella).

The main bone on the side of the skull. Although the parietal bone is curved, it is considered a flat bone (as opposed to a tubular bone). The parietal bone is shaped like an irregular quadrangle. It articulates (joins) with the other parietal bone in the midline (top of the head), with the frontal bone…

The bone that forms the rear and rear bottom of the skull.

A somewhat rectangular bone at the back of the foot. The words “calcaneus” and “calcium” are related. Medically termed the calcaneus. The calcaneus (from the Latin calcaneum, meaning heel or heel bone) is a bone of the tarsus of the foot which constitutes the heel. In humans, the calcaneus is the largest of the tarsal…

A tumor of bone characterized by massive destruction of the end (epiphysis) of a long bone. The site most commonly struck by this tumor is the knee — the far end of the femur and the near end of the tibia. The tumor is often coated by new bony growth. It causes pain, restricts movement, and…