The human body and how it works is a fascinating web of systems that never fails to amaze scientists, doctors, and even those of us with just a little curiosity. From the incredibly complex brain to the constantly renewing skin, our bodies are full of wonders that we often take for granted. If you didn’t enjoy biology class in high school, don’t worry. Today, we’re sharing some of the coolest facts about our bodies that you might not know yet.
1.Brain Energy Consumption
Our brain contains about 86 billion neurons, which is why it uses up to 20% of the body’s total energy. It’s no wonder they say everything starts in our head!
2.The Number of Bones Changes Throughout Our Lives
Newborns have 270 bones at birth, many of which are made of cartilage. As we grow, some of these bones fuse together, so an adult has only 206 bones.
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3.The Length of Our Blood Vessels
If we connected all our blood vessels end to end, they would stretch for 97,000 kilometers. That’s about the same as traveling across Slovakia from east to west 195 times!
4.Unique Fingerprints
Each one of us has unique fingerprints. No two sets are the same, not even in identical twins. Experts discovered this relatively recently, which is why fingerprints only started being used as a unique identification method by police in 1977.
5.The Strength of Our Tongue
Would you believe it if someone told you that the human tongue is as strong as our thigh muscle? It’s true! Together, they make up the two strongest muscles in the body.
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6.Bone Strength
Not only muscles, but bones are incredibly strong and resilient too. A small bone, like one in the wrist, measuring around 5 centimetres, can bear up to 8 tons of weight.
7.Our Stomach is Acidic
If you’ve ever wondered how our stomach processes the food we eat, it does so quite effectively. Stomach acid is so powerful that it can even dissolve metal.
8.We Have Incredible Capacity
Most of us have experienced the tiring process of studying countless pages that we needed to memorize. If you ever feel like you can’t take in any more, remember this: the human memory can store about 2.5 petabytes of information, which is comparable to the capacity of the entire internet.
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9.As Fast as a Sneeze
Human sneezes can reach speeds of up to 160 kilometers per hour, and the droplets they disperse can travel up to 10 meters away from us. Masks and respirators during the pandemic really did a lot to protect us!
10.Our Calves Keep Us Upright
If you thought our upright posture was thanks to our spine, you’d be mistaken. It’s actually quite incredible—our calf muscle is one of the strongest muscles in the body because it continuously works to keep us standing upright.
