Amazing Facts About the Human Body: The human body is an extraordinarily complex and interesting machine, with so many mysteries that are yet to be discovered. From our organs to our senses, there is so much about us that we overlook. Here are 25 facts about the human body that will surprise you!
1. Your Body Has 37.2 Trillion Cells
You read that right: our human bodies have about 37.2 trillion cells . Researchers have created a preliminary map of some of the human body’s estimated 37.2 trillion cells. Each of these cells has a different function – like working together to keep you alive and healthy. It’s practically a tiny universe within your own body!
2. Your Heart Beats 100,000 Times a Day
About 100,000 times a day, on average, your heart will beat, pumping about 7,570 liters (2,000 gallons) of blood through your body. It’s a lot of work for such a small, muscular organ!
3. The Skin is the Largest Organ in Your Body
The skin is not just an outer layer; it is the largest organ in your body. The average adult’s skin weighs roughly 8 pounds and has roughly 22 square feet of surface area! In addition, it retains its fresh look by constantly shedding dead skin cells and creating new skin every 28 days.
4. Your Body Contains Around 100,000 Miles of Blood Vessels
If you were to stretch out all the blood vessels in your body, they would extend for about 100,000 miles—enough to circle the Earth four times! This vast network ensures that oxygen and nutrients reach every part of your body.
5. Humans Share 60% of Their DNA with Bananas
It may seem odd, but humans have about 60% DNA in common with bananas. No, it doesn’t mean we are more banana than we think; it emphasizes that all living organisms on Earth have common ancestry and basic genetic similarities.
6. Your Stomach Gets a New Lining Every Few Days
Your stomach’s acidic environment is so powerful, it could digest its own lining if it weren’t always renewing its internal environment. Fortunately, your stomach will renew its lining every 3-4 days to accommodate digestion and all that acid.
7. The Human Brain Has the Capacity to Store a Vast Amount of Information
The brain is an amazing organ; it has storage capacity in the range of 2.5 petabytes (2.5 million gigabytes). This is more than enough to store every film that has ever been released and then some!
8. Your Nose Can Remember 50,000 Scents
Your sense of smell is remarkable. In fact, your nose can identify and recall up to 50,000 different odors. It’s a sense that operates constantly, and we often take it for granted.
9. You Have a Unique Tongue Print
Additionally to your fingerprints, your tongue print is completely unique to you! Your tongue shape and arrangement of taste buds are all different, so there is absolutely nothing alike for another person. The human body can be unique in various ways.
10. The Human Body Can Survive Without a Stomach
Even though it is vital for digestion, and the body can survive without a stomach. When the stomach is removed due to disease or injury, the intestines adjust, and one can live with medical help by consuming smaller and more frequent meals.
11. Your Bones Are Constantly Being Replaced
Did you ever know your bones are perpetually regenerating? In10-year interval, every single bone in the body is replaced. This dynamic, ongoing replacement protects a well-functioning skeleton that is responsive to your changes in lifestyle.
12. Your Eyes Can Distinguish About 10 Million Colors
The human eye is incredibly sensitive to light. In fact It can perceive about 10 million shades of color so you can see subtle differences in shades or hues to enhance visual cognition.
13. Your Brain Has the Ability to “Erase” Painful Memories
The brain has a unique function that helps the brain in dealing with pain. The brain can actually suppress memories of extreme pain in times of trauma or stress so that you can cope with tough times and carry on. This is the reason we tend to forget how painful childbirth and injuries were.
14. You Produce About 1-1.5 Quarts of Saliva a Day
Every day, the average person generates around 1 to 1.5 quarts of saliva. Saliva not only allows you to digest food, but it also keeps the mouth moist, and acts as a buffer to limit infection by washing away bad bacteria.
15. Your Body Can Produce Its Own Aspirin
Our body has the ability to make a compound, similar to aspirin called salicylic acid, naturally through breaking down certain plant compounds. And this chemical can reduce inflammation and pain!
16. Your Fingerprints Are Formed in the Womb
Everyone has unique fingerprints, which start forming when they are in the womb during the initial months. These finger print patterns stem from genetic factors as well as the environmental factors in the amniotic fluid. As a result, fingerprints are impossible to replicate.
17. Humans Can Live Without a Spleen
Although your spleen helps filter your blood and fight infections, it is possible to live without one. If you had your spleen removed, other organs like your liver would take over some of its roles, although you may be at increased risk of infections.
18. You Have More Than 600 Muscles in Your Body
There are more than 600 muscles in the human body. They allow you to move, keep postures, and execute every task in your day. Muscles allow to do all that and make up about 40% of your body weight!
19. You Are Taller in the Morning
Did you know that? After a night’s sleep, the spine is relaxed and stretched out—so, when you wake up, you are actually about half an inch taller in the morning than in the evening. That is because your spine absorbs the compression of gravity throughout the day.
20. Your Body Has Its Own Built-In Painkiller
The body contains natural painkillers called endorphins. Endorphins are created and released when we undertake physical activities, including exercise and laughing – meaning they keep pain down and make us feel good!
21. Your Lungs Are the Size of a Tennis Court
If all the little air sacs in our lungs were flattened they would cover an area about the size of a tennis court! This gives the body a huge surface area to absorb oxygen into the blood system.
22. You Have a “Second Brain” in Your Gut
Your gut is sometimes called your “second brain” since it has over 100 million nerve cells (the same number of neurons count in the spinal cord). This “brain” is responsible for many activities concerning digestion and may also influence your emotions.
23. Your Body Can Detect and Respond to Threats in Just a Fraction of a Second
In dangerous circumstances, your brain can react or process information in only one-tenth of a second. The ability to process information this quickly is due to what scientists call the fight-or-flight system. The fight-or-flight system prepares your body to either fight or flee from danger.
24. Your Hair Grows Faster in Summer
It’s a little-known fact that hair grows quicker in the summer than it does in the winter! On average, hair grows about 10-20% quicker during summer. This is most likely due to the increased blood flow to our scalp during warmer temperatures.
Read also: Interesting facts about hair in Hindi
25. Your Body Can Live Without a Gallbladder
The gallbladder is storage for bile that aids in fat digestion. If you have your gallbladder removed, your body can adjust to digesting food without it, though it may need dietary changes to assist with fat digestion.
Conclusion
The human body is a remarkable thing and humans have amazing capacities. While our cells and designated organs have more astonishing processes and potential than can fit into this list of 25 facts, we have just touched the surface of how amazing we are as humans. So, the next time you think of the human body remember how much of a powerhouse of complexity the human body is!
Did you enjoy these phenomenal facts? Feel free to share this article with your friends and let us know in the comments below which fact surprised you the most!
Good article, thanks for sharing.