Stomach Stomach The stomach (from ancient Greek στόμαχος, "stomachos," "stoma" means mouth) is a muscular, hollow organ in the gastrointestinal tract of humans and many other animals, including several invertebrates. The stomach has a dilated structure and functions as a vital digestive organ. In the digestive system the stomach is involved in the second phase of digestion, following mastication (chewing). In humans and many other animals, the stomach is located between the oesophagus and the small intestine. It secretes digestive enzymes and gastric acid to aid in food digestion. The pyloric sphincter controls the passage of partially digested food (chyme) from
In the Mouth of the Whale In the Mouth of the Whale In the Mouth of the Whale is a 2012 science fiction novel by Paul J. McAuley, the third in his "Quiet War" sequence. While "The Quiet War" and "Gardens of the Sun" were set in a mid-term future solar system, "In the Mouth of the Whale" is spatially and temporally much further out, set thousands of years in the future around a Fomalhaut system long since colonised by refugees from the Quiet War. The first settlers, the Quick, have since been superseded by the True who are in turn challenged by the posthuman Ghosts.