If you asked 1,000 people how good they knew their bodies, probably 100 percent of them would say extremely well. But surprisingly, there are a lot of things that even the most knowledgeable individuals don’t know. After all, the body is complex. And every year, medical professionals, scientists, and researchers discover new things.
These 60 facts about the body will astound you. So, buckle up and get ready for a crazy ride.
1. Electrical brain activity
Billions of neurons exist throughout the body. It’s the brain’s job to tell them what to do via electrical impulses and signals. With everything combined, your brain has enough electrical power to illuminate a low-watt lightbulb.
Although this might sound odd, it’s an actual medical condition. In response to a traumatic event, the heart can become stressed. Sometimes, that causes shortness of breath, pain, and even a heart attack that can lead to death.
As you know, acid is very dangerous. But what you might not know is that the acid in your stomach is extremely powerful. It’s so strong that it could easily burn a hole in human skin.
Learning there’s bacteria in the mouth isn’t shocking. But there is something that is shocking. Among the 615 different types, the level of bacteria in the mouth can be in the billions.
This seems impossible yet it’s true. There are so many blood vessels in the body that if placed in a line, they’d stretch between 60,000 and 100,000 miles. That’s more than twice the circumference of the earth.
Are you ready for this? A certain type of mites known as Demodex live on eyelashes. They also reside in other hair follicles on the body.
7. Night-shrinking height
That’s right, when you go to bed at night, your height shrinks. Here’s why. In the morning, there’s little compression on the spine but as the day wears on, it increases. So, at night, you’re somewhat shorter.
8. Heart to music synchronization
Did you know that based on the music you listen to, your heart either beats faster or slower to synchronize with the beat? It’s true. Also, songs with crescendos can cause blood vessels to constrict.
Within the body are enzymes that help with the digestion of food. But they do something else. After dying, these same enzymes begin to feed on bodily fluids produced during the autolysis process.
The heart is responsible for pumping blood used throughout the body. In a normal person’s life, it’ll pump more than 100,000 times a day. When exercising, it typically pumps six times faster, if not more.
During pregnancy, the size of a woman’s brain decreases. Fortunately, it does return to its normal size. But that can take up to six months.
Of all the bones in the body, the feet contain roughly 25 percent of them. Each has 26 bones. Also, the feet and ankles are comprised of 33 joints, as well as 100 tendons, ligaments, and muscles.
13. Small and large intestines
The small intestine is about 20 feet long whereas, the large intestine is roughly five feet. Combining the two would equal the length of rope needed to repel the side of a building. A three-story building at that.
14. The strength of teeth
To chew, human teeth need to be strong. But they’re much stronger than most people realize. In part due to their enamel coating, human teeth are just as strong as shark teeth.
15. Baby versus adult bones
In adulthood, you’ll have 212 different bones in your body. But as a baby, you would’ve had a minimum of 300. What happens is that as you grow, some bones fuse, meaning you have more bones as an infant than you do as an adult.
As people age, the skin often becomes paper-thin. But even when young, you wouldn’t think it weighs very much. It does…roughly 20 pounds or 18 percent of your total body weight.
This tidbit about the body is fascinating. As you know, it only takes a split second to blink. Yet while you’re awake, your eyes remain closed about 10 percent of the time.
18. Glow in the dark bodies
Oh, come one, this can’t be true but it is. You see, the human body is bioluminescent, meaning it emits light. But because the glow is so faint, it’s impossible to see it with the naked eye.
19. Black and white dreams
After years of research, experts determined that during the 1940s, approximately 75 percent of people dreamed in black and white. They believe black and white television was the primary factor. While some people still do this, the numbers have decreased substantially.
20. The composition of tears
People cry because they’re either happy or sad. But here’s a cool fact. The composition of tears is unique depending on whether they’re shed because of happiness or sadness.
Officially known as “Gourmand Syndrome,” this is when someone becomes obsessed with fine dining. Medical professionals say it follows an injury to the brain’s right anterior cerebral hemisphere. Not only do people want to eat at five-star restaurants but they also consistently talk about it.
Daily, the heart pumps about 2,000 gallons of blood. To do that, a tremendous amount of pressure is required. That pressure is so great that a beating heart can easily squirt blood up to 30 feet.
Of the different organs in the human body, the liver is the only one capable of growing cells and regenerating. That’s why it’s common for a donated organ to go to more than one recipient. Even with 75 percent of the liver removed, it would survive.
Food is one of life’s many pleasures. Thanks to tastebuds, you can enjoy a multitude of flavors. But around the age of 60, the roughly 10,000 taste buds you started with would start to decrease and along with them, your ability to taste.
Since its discovery, experts have discovered so many things about human DNA. One is its incredible length. Comprised of long coils, if you could unwind your DNA, it would traverse the solar system twice, which is equivalent to going from Earth to Pluto and then back again.
This is certainly mind-boggling. If you blush when embarrassed, the lining of your stomach blushes as well. This is due to the body’s capillaries widening.
Everyone knows the main facial expressions such as smiling, frowning, squinting, and so on. But few know the face can actually make more than 7,000 different expressions. They’re all a lot easier to spot on someone without facial hair.
28. Almost indestructible hair
Other than fire, human hair is almost impossible to destroy. Sure, it can get split ends and dry out, but for the most part, it’s extremely resistant to all kinds of things including acids and chemicals. Ultimately, it takes a long time for hair to decay.
Here’s another fact that sounds crazy. Yet, it works. When experiencing stress, place your thumb near the mouth and blow. This cools the thumb and calms its pulse, which helps to relax the entire body.
Compared to high-tech cameras, the eye reigns supreme. Trying to match the human’s eye’s ability to see a 500 megapixels resolution is hard to do. Included in this is the entire field of vision spanning 180 degrees.
…every 10 years. You read that correctly. Consistently, the body regenerates bone. So, in roughly a decade, the body has a new skeleton. Unfortunately, this process slows down with age.
This is thought-provoking. Even when removed from the body, doctors can keep a human heart beating. That’s how they’re able to do approximately 5,000 heart transplant surgeries around the globe every year.
First, we need to clarify that rather than the eye condition, this has to do with the small pink area in the corner of the eye. Eons ago, this pink part of the eye was an inner eyelid, similar to what you see in reptiles and birds. But over time, it diminished to the small section it is today.
Once you reach the age of 30, you can expect to shrink. About every 10 years past this age, you’ll likely get one-half inch shorter. For instance, if you’re 5-foot, 10-inches at 30, by the time you’re 60, your height will be around 5-foot, 8.5-inches.
Some individuals swear they hear what sounds like a bomb exploding when going to sleep. And it has a name…Exploding Head Syndrome. Experts say that roughly 10 percent of the world’s population experiences this.
Everyone knows the body contains a massive number of cells. But what they don’t realize is that there are 10 times more bacteria. When enormous microbial communities form, they have a major effect on a person’s health.
On average, the human body contains between seven and eight liters of blood. To remain healthy, it has to be filtered. So, the kidneys go through a filtering process as many as 25 times per day.
To avoid getting cavities, you want to avoid sweet foods and brush regularly. But here’s a better way. Kiss. Yep, kissing helps the mouth produce more saliva, which flushes away plaque.
Get this…the human body contains roughly 97 percent of the same atoms found in our galaxy. According to experts, that means one thing. Approximately 93 percent of the body mass is stardust.
To keep the mouth moisturized and help with digestion, the mouth produces between one and two liters of spit every day. That’s a bunch of saliva. Even thinking about food can help increase spit production.
Any time you’re submerged in water, something amazing happens. The body’s systems shut down to conserve energy. This phenomenon is called the “Diving Reflex.”
Most people with excessive body fat work hard to eliminate it. But here’s something interesting. The average individual has enough fat to make at least 10 bars of soap.
Many parts of the body have their own blood supply. But one doesn’t. That’s the cornea of the eye. Instead, it gets oxygen from the air it’s exposed to.
44. Fingerprint development
Most people don’t give much thought to when fingerprints develop in a fetus. But it’s a fascinating topic. Just so you know, they don’t form until about the 17th week of pregnancy.
This fact is kind of interesting and funny at the same time. Do you know what develops first in a human embryo? It’s the anus followed by the mouth.
That sounds downright scary. But when someone goes on an extreme diet, that can happen. Ultimately, cells in the brain begin to eat small portions of themselves.
Gravity has a direct impact on the body. For instance, experts made a fascinating discovery. When astronauts return from space, they’re a little bit taller than before they left the earth.
The body is truly amazing. You can survive with just one of any two organs. So, if one kidney or lung stops functioning, you can continue to live a normal life.
49. Lack of oxygen in the brain
Many people believe that a lack of oxygen to the brain leads to certain death. But you can go anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes without it and still live. This is why current CPR instructions focus more on chest compressions than mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
50. Swallowing and breathing
Here’s something you can try at home. Yep, try to swallow and breathe at the same time. It’s impossible.
Being diagnosed with cancer is horrible. But there’s a chance that your body battled it at some point without you even knowing. After all, cells constantly divide and make repairs before problems spiral out of control.
As you know, the brain is a large mass. And considering the size of the head, it’s amazing that it fits inside. To better understand just how big the human brain is, if it were flattened, it would cover an entire pillowcase.
The kidneys play a critical role to ensure the human body remains healthy. But when looking at their positioning, you’ll notice something. The one on the left is higher than the one on the right.
The eyes automatically blink as a way to generate fluid that lubricates them. But there’s a difference between babies and adults. You see, infants blink a lot more often than adults do.
Every person has a unique fingerprint. But they also have a unique tongue print. Law enforcement can use either one to identify an individual.
56. The strongest muscle in the body
You might think this has to do with the arms or legs. But it doesn’t. The strongest muscle in the body is in the jaw.
There’s a reason you should buy a new mattress for your bed every six to eight years. This is because annually, the body sheds about 1.5 pounds of dead skin cells. Think about that…over an individual’s lifespan, which equates to more than 100 pounds.
58. Running a temperature
When you get a fever, you know the body is trying to fight off some kind of infection. With a temperature of over 104, the body’s organs can begin to shut down. But the highest fever on record was 115. Fortunately, the person lived.
Many people think that vigorous brushing is the best way to get their teeth clean. But that can cause damage. The harder you brush the more enamel you remove. Instead, it’s better to brush lighter and longer.
60. Right- versus left-handed
Although somewhat controversial, several studies found something interesting. Right-handed people live longer than left-handed people. On average, their life expectancy increases by nine years.
