Question

What is somatic nervous system "function"?

Answer 1

The somatic nervous system is responsible for deliberate muscular function and for processing extraneous sensory information.

Explanation:

The somatic nervous system is part of the peripheral nervous system, along with the autonomic nervous systems. The autonomic nervous system control involuntary processes in the body, such as digestion, heart rate, urination and the fight-or-flight response. In contrast, the somatic nervous system controls all voluntary muscle movement and reflex arcs , and is also responsible for processing information gathered externally, such as sight, touch, sound, taste, smell and others.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somatic_nervous_system

The somatic nervous system houses two different types of neurons: Motor (efferent) neurons, and Sensory (afferent) neurons.

Motor neurons control muscle movement with commands recieved from the precentral gyrus , which travel to the neurons via spinal nerves located on the spine. Motor neurons only recieve instructions for the muscle fibers to perform, such as lifting a hand or running through a park.

Some acts of the somatic nervous system are involuntary, however, as in muscle reflex arcs. These occur when a nerve pathway connects directly to the spinal cord. This means the muscle movement can happen almost automatically, not needing input from the brain. Examples of this include when your hand quickly retracts from a hot stove, or when your knee jerks after a doctor taps on it.

Sensory neurons carry messages from the nerves to the central nervous system and vice-versa, and relay information such as light, touch and sound. They primarily relate information through the cranial nerves to the " dorsal root ganglia of the spinal cord, with motor commands carried by the efferent fibers leave the cord at the ventral roots. " https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensory_nerve
Sensory nerves are found all across the skeleton and the organs, and are responsible for feelings of pain, temperature changes and more.

https://www.verywell.com/what-is-the-somatic-nervous-system-2795866

I hope I helped!