Human bodies are one of the most complex creatures on Earth. Each cell, organ and system contains numerous fascinating facts – some even bizarre!
Your hands contain more bones than your feet, yet their fingers can be uneven in shape. In addition, ears and noses continue to develop even after we stop growing taller!
1. There are a trillion cells in your body
Human bodies consist of trillions of cells, each carrying 30,000 genes. Mutations in any of these cells could potentially lead to cancer; as we shed old ones and replace them with new ones constantly throughout our lives, approximately a normal adult sheds around 1 million cells every minute!
Scientists have long attempted to calculate the size of cells within human bodies, but until now no definitive figure existed. A new study using data from multiple sources and mathematical modeling estimated an adult body contained approximately 37 trillion cells – plus or minus 0.81 trillion.
This study isn’t the first attempt at calculating the number of cells in a human body, but it is one of the most exhaustive yet. Previous estimates ranged between 30 trillion and 37 trillion cells (both human and microbial), as it’s difficult to ascertain blood vessels or nerves with pinpoint accuracy.
Normal humans possess over 600 muscles that help them move around freely. The gluteus maximus, the body’s largest muscle, assists with standing. Smiling requires 17 muscle to do while frowning requires 43. Additionally, more muscles are involved when blinking than when yawning!
The stirrup bone, found inside your inner ear, measures only 2.8 millimetres long and accounts for only 0.08 of your total bone count. Meanwhile, the longest bone found on an average person’s body is their femur located in their leg; an individual typically possesses 28 ribs, 24 vertebrae, and 16 clavicle bones.
Some women are born with two uteruses, known as uterus didelphys or double uteruses. This rare condition only affects 1 out of 2,000 women worldwide; longest recorded pregnancy lasted 375 days while 22 week gestation period was the shortest recorded one. When you fart, its smell comes from fermenting bacteria in your digestive system fermenting food particles; every square inch of skin contains 2.5 million sweat glands which shed dead skin cells daily due to your pores expanding and contracting with every breath taken in/out.
2. You have a sense of smell that is 10000 times more sensitive than your sense of taste
Your sense of smell is 10,000 times more sensitive than your sense of taste, with receptors located in a stamp-sized area in your nasal cavity to detect odors. They can detect thousands of different smells and are essential in detecting things such as smoke or toxic gases – not to mention appreciating all the full flavors found in food and drink!
Your body contains millions of nerve endings that enable it to sense touch, pressure, temperature and sound. Blood vessels also line your skin which send signals directly to the brain about how your body is responding. Your heart beats in time with music you listen to!
Human bodies are intricate machines designed to keep us alive and healthy. Each cell plays its part, while organs organize into systems – like teams of departments collaborating for optimal city operations – which all work in harmony to keep life moving along smoothly.
Your body contains 206 bones that together make up your skeleton. While strong and flexible, each year new bone tissue grows within it – helping your skeleton continue to evolve throughout your lifetime.
Eyes blink approximately 20 times each minute, which equates to around 10 million blinks per year! Your nose and ears continue to develop throughout your lifetime – don’t be alarmed at your earwax; it is just sweat!
Your heart can beat faster than a car engine and is the hardest-working muscle in your body, pumping approximately 2,500 gallons of blood each day. Your kidneys filter waste and water out of your blood while your intestines digest your food – though did you know that digestion typically takes 12 hours to fully take place?
Our bodies are amazing machines, and there’s always more to discover about them! These fun facts about the human body will surprise and amass both yourself and others – next time you feel bored, pick up a book to start learning something new about your body!
3. You have an appendix that doesn’t have a purpose
Scientists and doctors alike have long held that our appendixes were mere remnants from evolution. Consisting of a small, thin tube situated on the lower right side of your abdomen, an appendix is vulnerable to inflammation (appendicitis) and often removed surgically; yet this organ continues to get a bad rap since people can survive just fine without one.
Doctors only recently understood its purpose was due to its effect on gut bacteria: acting as a safe haven where beneficial organisms could breed and rest after being decimated by diseases like cholera or amoebic dysentery that deplete beneficial microbe populations, the appendix provides microbes a place of refuge until infection subsides – giving you time for their return once recovery occurs.
Researchers at Duke University now think that the appendix serves another function: as a reservoir for healthy gut bacteria. When bacteria in the large intestine are depleted, they’re more likely to migrate elsewhere – potentially even to your appendix! – and be protected by colonic tissue for recovery before returning back into your larger intestine.
Heather Smith, an anatomist and professor of anatomy at Midwestern University in Arizona, conducted a study that examined 533 mammals. Her team concluded that while most mammals such as dogs and cats do not possess an appendix, primates and wombats do. Their conclusions include suggesting the appendix evolved as an important storage place for gut microbes; future research could lead us towards being able to prevent or treat appendicitis without surgical interventions.
Human bodies are truly remarkable, offering us so much to learn about. From how our eyes work to why our brains remain unfinished, there’s always something new to learn about how our bodies function – so don’t wait – have a look at yours now – there’s plenty to see!
4. You have earwax
Earwax may seem gross, but your ears actually need it! Earwax acts as a shield between the inner ear and bacteria or insects entering through its opening, keeping your eardrums moist, hearing sharp and infection at bay. Plus, its sticky nature prevents any pieces of earwax from falling off into your inner ear and creating infections; additionally it’s produced by glands similar to those responsible for sweat production, so those who exercise frequently or experience high stress levels tend to produce more earwax than those who don’t.
The human body is truly amazing; it contains so many fascinating and strange facts that are sure to blow your mind! Use these amazing body facts as fodder for creating a trivia game among friends or family members, or read up more by doing some reading or online research on yourself and/or others.
Some of the most fascinating human body facts revolve around your ears and nose bones. In fact, they continue to expand throughout your lifetime while your height eventually levels off after puberty.
Your bones are composed of calcium, phosphorus, sodium, collagen and other minerals. Over a lifetime period, approximately half of your bones will deteriorate and need replacing; also they beat approximately 100,000 times every day!
Over 600 muscles exist within the human body, with gluteus maximus being the largest and strongest. Your heart pumps out approximately 2,500 gallons of blood every day; Monday has the highest incidence rate for heart attacks.
There are 206 bones in your body; however, your baby has 300 due to some fusing together during development. Also, we shed around 30-40 thousand skin cells every minute and produce enough heat energy to bring an entire gallon of water boiling in just 30 minutes!