15 Interesting facts about the human body that you probably didn’t know
The human body is a remarkable machine. There are many things going on inside it that you don’t know about or aren’t aware of. That’s why there are a thousand and one fascinating facts about the human body, and researchers continue to uncover more and more fascinating, interesting and even amusing facts. Read on for 15 interesting facts about the human body.
1. We have ‘water brains’
There are countless interesting facts about the human body, for example about the brain. Your brain is 80 per cent water. That might seem a bit high, but on average the entire human body is made up of about 70 per cent water. The average adult brain weighs around 1,300 grams, but the weight and size of the brain say nothing about cleverness or intelligence.
2. We cannot live without oxygen
Oxygen is the fuel of the human body. A person cannot survive without oxygen. Oxygen is pumped through the body via our circulatory system. If you were to add up the length of all the blood vessels in a human body, you’d end up with a total length of around 100,000 kilometres!
3. Our heart is always working
Your heart beats around 115,000 times a day to pump between 8,000 and 9,000 litres of blood through your body. That’s about 6 litres per minute. The sound of your heartbeat is actually the sound of the heart valves opening and closing. This vital muscle is about the size of a fist and weighs less than 500 grams.
4. Alveoli are as big as half a tennis court
Your lungs contain airways, and attached to these are alveoli. These are tiny sacs that play a vital role in the exchange of oxygen in your body. Your lungs consist of hundreds of millions of alveoli. These have a surface area of around seventy to one hundred square metres. To put that into perspective: that’s as big as half a tennis court.
5. We’re almost like Superman
When your body feels threatened or finds itself in a dangerous situation, it experiences stress. At such moments, adrenaline is released. This adrenaline enables you to run very fast for a short while or to think more clearly about how to react to a situation.
6. We’re active sleepers
Did you know that when you’re asleep, your brain is much more active than when you’re awake? Your brain processes a lot of information and recovers from the day’s activities. Your brain effectively reboots itself whilst you’re asleep.
7. There’s a sort of brain in your tummy
There are nerve cells surrounding your stomach and intestines, consisting of hundreds of millions of neurons. This is the enteric nervous system, also known as the ‘second brain’. It regulates many processes within the digestive system itself, without you having to think about it consciously. The second brain in your tummy isn’t the same kind of brain as your own, but is an independent nervous system that constantly communicates with your brain.
8. Babies have more bones than adults
Did you know that an adult has fewer bones than a baby? A baby is born with 350 bones. Over time, some bones fuse together, meaning that an adult’s body consists of around 206 bones.
9. Every few weeks, we get a new ‘coat’
Did you know that your whole body is constantly renewing itself? Or rather, the cells that make up your body. There are around 50 to 75 trillion cells in the human body, and each cell type has its own lifespan or regeneration cycle.
Red blood cells, for example, live for about four months, whilst white blood cells live for over a year on average. Your skin cells live for about two or three weeks, which means your body gets a fresh coat every few weeks.
10. Humans have just as much hair as chimpanzees
On average, humans have just as much hair as chimpanzees. That might be hard to imagine, as it seems as though chimpanzees have more hair. But it’s actually true. The difference is that chimpanzees’ hair is longer, thicker and darker in colour. Human body hair is short, fine and downy in many places.
11. We all have our own body odour
We all have a unique body odour and therefore all smell different. This is down to various factors, such as your genes, skin bacteria, diet, hygiene, hormones and age. Identical twins have a similar body odour because they have almost the same genes.
12. When you cry, tears come out of your nose
Yes, really! You’ve probably noticed that when you’re crying, you always end up with a runny nose. This is because tears don’t just come out through your eyes, but also through your nose. That’s because there are tear ducts in your nose too.
13. You use several muscles when you laugh
Laughing is a workout: when you laugh, you use muscles in your face, diaphragm and abdomen. In your face alone, you engage 15 muscles when you laugh. What’s more, your brain produces the chemical endorphin when you laugh. Endorphins can help you feel less pain, but they also make you feel relaxed and at ease.
14. We cannot do without love
Smoking is unhealthy, but research shows that a lack of love can be even more harmful to your health. Social isolation causes heart problems. Furthermore, it has also been found that isolated people with heart problems are twice as likely to die from them as people who have support from those around them.
15. Humans cannot produce vitamin C
The L-gulano-gamma-lactone oxidase gene is one of the four genes required to convert sugar into vitamin C, but this gene is absent in humans. As a result, we, as humans, cannot produce vitamin C and must obtain it from fruit and vegetables. It is found in oranges, kiwis, strawberries, broccoli and red peppers, amongst other things. Vitamin C is important for your immune system, collagen formation and wound healing.
Discover BODY WORLDS Amsterdam
As you’ve read, our bodies are full of surprises. And these are just 15 of the many remarkable facts waiting to be discovered. At BODY WORLDS Amsterdam, this fascinating world comes to life. Using real human bodies, you’ll discover in a unique way how we’re put together on the inside and how everything works together. A special experience that’s guaranteed to change your perspective on the human body.
