From blood vessels to bone regeneration, there are plenty of amazing body facts sure to amaze. Discover interesting details like ear wax being classified as sweat or the fact that babies may possess more bones due to some bones joining together during development.
Learn that the brain is more active at night and that humans have unique tongue prints.
1. Your brain can read up to 1,000 words per minute
Average readers read 200-300 words per minute with only 85% comprehension, whereas top 1% readers can read 1,000 words per minute without skipping words! You can train your brain to read fast in just the same way you learn other skills such as cycling or swimming.
No one doubts the miraculous feats performed by our bodies – from keeping us alive and moving to transporting us where we want to go and so much more! But did you know they can also do some strange things, from miles of blood vessels to regenerate bones? Check out some amazing facts about human biology which will blow your mind!
Tony Buzan, 74, claims he can read up to 1,000 words per minute using peripheral vision and his entire eye in order to maximize reading capacity beyond just 20% that is typically controlled by central focus of human gaze. Other experts contend that the physical process of moving and focusing one’s eyes and processing visual data simply cannot go any faster. There is evidence of successful high-speed reading rates being attained using techniques like skimming to identify transposed words (e.g. “horse the trotted toward” instead of “horse trotted away”) and ignoring repetitive words and phrases. You can also increase your reading rate by training yourself to recognize and process word associations more quickly.
2. Your stomach blushes every time you blush
Blushing causes blood vessels to dilate all over your body, including in your cheeks and stomach lining, to help alleviate distressing situations like stress or fear. Just as when dogs flatten their ears or canines roll belly up when scared or startled, this physical response signals to others that you’re not trying to fight but are simply showing aversion and are not trying to fight with anyone directly.
Your body releases adrenaline when you blush, but you can control the reaction. If it becomes an issue for you, try practicing relaxation techniques or consulting a therapist on coping skills. If it continues, a doctor may suggest cognitive behavioral therapy or medications like anti-anxiety drugs; Beta-blockers such as Clonidine may help reduce blushing by blocking nerves responsible for dilation of blood vessels; in extreme cases surgery called endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy may be an option but only after other methods have failed.
Human bodies contain many complex processes, from miles of blood vessels to renewing bone growth. With Halloween fast approaching, we rounded up more incredible body facts from UW Medicine experts that will leave you dazzled – from how your skin blushes to things that go bump in the night, there’s plenty more about your own body to discover!
3. Your body sheds 50,000 skin cells per minute
Human bodies do a lot of incredible things without us even realizing it; from carrying memories and getting us where we need to go every day, to keeping us alive through miles of blood vessels and bone regeneration; they truly are an impressive system!
One of the more interesting cool body facts is that your skin sheds between 30,000 and 40,000 dead cells every minute, coming off from the top layer of epidermis known as stratum corneum, providing waterproof barrier function and protecting underlying layers of your skin from external conditions. Once released into circulation these dead skin cells float freely until their eventual expulsion from your blood through shedding, sweating or urinating.
Average people typically sweat approximately 2.5 million times each year – enough to fill an entire party balloon! They have 2.5 million sweat glands that release over a pound of fluid through urine daily; in addition, their heart beats about 100,000 times daily sending 2,000 gallons of blood around their bodies in just one minute!
Did you know that humans blink approximately 20 times per minute? This explains why you may find yourself blinking more when someone stares directly at you. In your lifetime, expect approximately 10,000 sneezes or coughs; and finally, earwax is actually just another form of sweat!
While these gross and surprising facts about your body may be uncomfortable to learn about, they can offer fascinating insights into its workings. Your skin, for instance, is the last organ to receive nutrients; yet it is often first to show signs of imbalance or deficiency.
4. Your nose acts as an air cleaner
The human body does amazing things without us even realizing it, such as producing blood vessels that run thousands of miles and healing bones from fractures. Furthermore, our eyes blink 20 times each minute while producing enough earwax to fill over 500 bathtubs (ick). Here are a few other did-you-know facts about your own body:
Your nose serves more than just as an airway; it also acts as a filter, warming and moistening the air, filtering out dust particles, pollen, and other pollutants, sensing odors, and is the main gateway into your respiratory system.
Inside your nostrils are tiny hair-like structures called cilia that act like tiny filters to capture dust and other particles before moving them back towards your nostrils, where they can either be sneezed out or wiped away with tissue wipes. Your nose also boasts an extensive network of small tube-like channels to warm, condition, and moisturize air as it enters.
Your body produces about 40,000 litres of spit in its lifetime – enough to fill more than five hundred bathtubs! Your tongue contains around 8,000 taste-buds that each contain up to 100 cells for sensing food tastes and tasting buds; additionally, about one cupful of nasal mucus is produced daily!