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臉是什麼？

臉的幅員可以有多廣？它可以是一個顱骨；幾筆卡通的勾勒線條，或是一幅滑稽漫畫；一個簡樸的面具，或是一個剪影。臉之所以神秘迷人在於它結合了內在與外在、肉身與心靈、外貌及人格。
臉部的基本結構是顱骨加上其他骨骼組織，這個架構使呼吸及臉部動作得以運行，並界定出一個人臉部特有的形狀：諸如兩眼間的距離，還有下巴的角度。由神經組織所啟動的臉部肌肉固著於顱骨之上，控制覆蓋於上方的皮膚與脂肪的運動。
臉部表情是藉著神經與肌肉間複雜的協調運作來展現。運動組織基質決定眼睛的開闔，進食與說話等動作。然而我們尚未完全瞭解臉部肌肉與表情間的關連，而且有些人的臉部癱瘓且毫無表情。
臉部是如何發展而來的？科學家了解早期的生物並不具有臉孔，但有關臉部演化方面的議題不是在科學界爭論不休，不然就是不得而知。譬如，各個感覺器官的發展有助於臉部的成型；而臉部傳遞非語言訊息的能力也是如此。許多科學家相信，人類臉孔上半部漸減的毛髮，促成了臉部溝通的演化。
這個單元探討臉部的生理構造、功能和運作機制，以及與其身份的關連。世世代代的藝術家、解剖學家、鑑識學與精神科專家、還有顏面外科醫師皆嘗試深入地探索這個領域，將臉孔層層抽絲剝繭，研究對象涵蓋死者與活人。近代醫學及心理學的研究更戲劇化地增進我們對臉部的瞭解。

What is a face?

Where does a face begin and end? It may be a skull; a few lines of a cartoon, or a caricature; a simple mask, or a silhouette. The fascination and mystery of the face comes from the way it combines interior and exterior, flesh and spirit, appearance and personality.
A face's structure begins with skull and bones, which allow breathing and movement and define its unique shape: the relative spacing of the eyes, the angle of the jaw, for example. Anchored to the skull, and activated by nerves, the facial muscles control the movement of the fat and skin that covers them.
Facial expressions depend upon the complex co-ordination of nerves and muscles in the face. The matrix of moving tissues determines the opening and closing of the eyes, eating and speaking. But the relation of the face's muscles to facial expressions is not completely understood and some people's faces are paralyzed and immobile.
Where did faces come from? Scientists know that early organisms did not have them, but much information about the evolution of the face is still contested or unknown. The development of individual sense organs, for example, helped shape the face; but so did the ability of the whole face to convey non-verbal information. Many scientists believe that the gradual loss of hair on the upper, expressive parts of the human face enabled the evolution of facial communication.
This section explores the physical structure, functions and mechanisms of the face and their relation to identity. Generations of artists, anatomists, forensic and psychological experts and facial surgeons have probed on and below its surface, mapping its contours inside and out, on the dead as well as the living. Recent medical and psychological research has dramatically enhanced our understanding of how our faces work.