The trilobite body is divided into three major sections, a cephalon with eyes, mouthparts and sensory organs such as antennae, a thorax of multiple similar segments (that in some species allowed them to roll up into a ball), and a pygidium, or tail section.

The thorax (from Greek "θώραξ" - thorax, "breastplate, cuirass, corslet"^[1]) is a division of an animal's body that lies between the head and the abdomen.

In tetrapods[link]

In mammals, the thorax is the region of the body formed by the sternum, the thoracic vertebrae, and the ribs. It extends from the neck to the diaphragm, and does not include the upper limbs. The heart and the lungs reside in the thoracic cavity, as well as many blood vessels. The inner organs are protected by the rib cage and the sternum.

In arthropods[link]

In insects and the extinct trilobites, the thorax is one of the three main divisions (or tagmata) of the creature's body, each of which is in turn composed of multiple segments. It is the area where the wings and legs attach in insects, or an area of multiple articulating plates in trilobites. In most insects, the thorax itself is composed of three segments; the prothorax, the mesothorax, and the metathorax. In extant insects, the prothorax never has wings, though legs are always present in adults; wings (when present) are restricted to at least the mesothorax, and typically also the metathorax, though the wings may be reduced or modified on either or both segments. In the Apocritan Hymenoptera, the first abdominal segment is fused to the metathorax, where it forms a structure known as the propodeum. Accordingly, in these insects, the functional thorax is composed of four segments, and is therefore typically called the mesosoma to distinguish it from the "thorax" of other insects.

Each thoracic segment in an insect is further subdivided into various parts, the most significant of which are the dorsal portion (the notum), the lateral portion (the pleuron; one on each side), and the ventral portion (the sternum). In some insects, each of these parts is composed of one to several independent exoskeletal plates with membrane between them (called sclerites), though in many cases the sclerites are fused to various degrees.

References[link]

• Sam Gon III. "A guide to the Orders of Trilobites". http://www.trilobites.info/index.htm. Retrieved August 23, 2005. 

Further reading[link]

• Antonio Servadei; Sergio Zangheri; Luigi Masutti. General and Applied Entomology CEDAM, 1972.

The Normal is the recording artist name used by English music producer Daniel Miller, a film editor at the time, who is best known as the founder of the record label Mute Records.

Background[link]

In 1977, Miller had split up with his girlfriend. A friend suggested that he read a book he himself had just finished. The book was Crash (1973) by J.G. Ballard.^[1] He felt that Ballard's writing took him five minutes into the future; the novel was to be a major influence in the music he would produce as The Normal.^[1] Miller was disillusioned by the fact you needed to learn three chords to be in a punk band, so he decided to purchase a synthesiser. His thinking was that you only needed to learn to press one key on a synthesiser.^[1] After buying a Korg 700s synthesiser from Macari's music shop in London,^[1] Miller recorded and released a single under the name The Normal. This was "T.V.O.D."/"Warm Leatherette". Both tracks were minimalist electronic songs influenced by the Crash novel.^[1] He wanted the sound of the recordings to be visual, like driving along a highway between large buildings then going through a tunnel.^[1] The single was recorded in Daniel Miller's house using a TEAC four track tape recorder and the Korg synthesiser.^[2]

"Live at West Runton Pavilion", The Normal's second release, done with another Mute Records act, Robert Rental, wasn't well-received. A strange release, it was a one-sided album (side two was left blank) of improvised electronic noises, in a plain purple dust jacket. Marat Records released the record in Germany as Daniel Miller Robert Rental Live, with a black and white picture sleeve, catalogue No. Marat Rough 017.

Influence on other artists[link]

Songs by The Normal have been covered and performed by many notable artists such as Grace Jones, Chicks on Speed/Hell on a split-7", Giddle and Boyd Rice and in 2006 by Trent Reznor with Jeordie White and Peter Murphy.^[3] A recent cover of "Warm Leatherette" was performed live by Duran Duran in November 2007, and as part of an electro medley during their 2008 tour,^[4] in support of their album Red Carpet Massacre.

Discography[link]

• The Normal - "T.V.O.D." / "Warm Leatherette" (Mute Records 1978)
• Robert Rental & The Normal - Live At West Runton Pavilion, 6-3-79 (Rough Trade 1980)

References[link]

Notes[link]

External links[link]

• The Normal at Mute Records Official site
• The Normal at Allmusic
• The Normal Discography at discogs.com