30 Of The Most Interesting Facts About The Human Body That You Never Learned In School
Turns out that the human body is capable of things you might not have even considered possible.
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The human body is pretty amazing - not only can it heal its own wounds, fight diseases, and process obscene amounts of junk food, it is also capable of things you might not have even considered possible. And you're about to learn just what some of those things are.
After Reddit user Zenssei asked people to share some facts about the human body that not everyone knows about, they received numerous fascinating answers that will make you appreciate your body even more. Check out some of the most interesting answers in the gallery below!
Image source: Andibular
Your brain regulates how strong your muscles are. If your leg muscles were to contract at full strength, they would snap your femur.
Its why people in emergencies on adrenaline can lift cars off children. Your body is capable of great strength, but it could also severely damage you, so your brain keeps you a weak, soft bag of jelly.
Image source: localhelic0pter7
People who live in "extreme" conditions for generations adapt in extreme ways. For example people that live in high elevations often have larger lungs and different blood makeup. Or my favorite is the Bajau people that live on the water and spend a lot of their time diving, their spleens have become 50% larger in order to store more blood.
Image source: IamaJarJar
When doing surgery where the doctors have to take out some organs, when placing them back, they don't have to be put back In the exact position there meant to be, your body kind of just, moves the organs into the correct position after the surgery
Image source: BlocterDocterFocter
You hate the sound of your recorded voice because it's missing the low frequency you're used to hearing.
When you talk, you hear your voice as it goes to the air and back to you ear. It also goes through your skull to your ear, and this bone conduction mechanism transmits the low frequencies better than air does.
Your recorded voice only has the air transmitted sound. That causes the dissonance between what you think your voice sounds like, and what it really does. It's also why your voice will (almost) always be higher pitch than you think.
Image source: littlepoot
The heart smells like mushrooms.
Source: I’m a cardiac anesthesiologist
Image source: SlavicSquat1234
Your eyes have a separate immune system from the rest of your body and in a lot of occasions if your body's immune system finds your eyes, they will assume they are a foreign body and blind you.
Image source: LadySygerrik
Humans have stripes, we just normally can’t see them. They’re called Blaschko’s lines and form along the paths of embryonic cell migration. The stripes are sort of U-shaped down our front, V-shaped on our back, wavy on the head and face and we have basic, simple stripes on our extremities.
Image source: MoodyTeeth
Our brains make up, on average, around 2% of our body weight but consume 20% of our caloric intake
Image source: Inner_Inspection6408
Humans have, on average, just as many hairs on their body as chimpanzees, human hair is just a lot shorter and finer.
Image source: -eDgAR-
Humans are bioluminescent and glow in the dark, but the light that we emit is 1,000 times weaker than our human eyes are able to pick up.
Image source: Hardboiledsoftshell
The reason it's so easy to break your collar bone is because its designed to break.
The way it was explained to me is that its like a circuit breaker. It breaks there to stop the shock of impact getting to your spine
Image source: Bitchmom_6969
When you cry and your nose becomes runny, it's actually your tears.
Image source: _Nugget_UwU
The eyeball is the fastest healing part on your body.
Image source: felipebsr
The surface area of the lungs is about the same size as a tennis court
Image source: TexasPatrick
Humans are one of a few species of mammal that oddly don't produce their own vitamin C due to lack of a certain enzyme. Other mammalian species who exhibit this mutation are those contained in the main primate suborder Haplorhinni (monkeys, apes, tarsiers), as well as bats, capybaras, and guinea pigs.
All other mammals produce vitamin C in the liver.
Image source: feliciates
You will sooner die from lack of sleep than lack of food.
You can live, depending on your current body fat and health level, for months without food. Estimates are you that you will die for lack of sleep within 2 weeks
Image source: blueridge97
Some women can feel the exact moment an egg is released from the ovary during ovulation. Feels like a little pop just on one side. Pretty neat
Image source: demonardvark
X-rays of childrens mouths are nightmare fuel. The second set of teeth to replace baby teeth are already grown and lodged in their skulls. So you'll see two rows of teeth and its freaky looking. They don't grow in when the old ones fall out, they are already loaded in the chamber waiting to get launched.
Image source: CurrentAttention3
You can grow a new human being faster than most missing toenails can grow back
Image source: MissSara101
It's possible to pull a jaw muscle while yawning. I found this out the hard way at work one day.
Image source: Cruithne
39% of people have an extra bone in their knee. 100 years ago only 11% of people had this bone.
#1
Image source: Andibular
Your brain regulates how strong your muscles are. If your leg muscles were to contract at full strength, they would snap your femur.
Its why people in emergencies on adrenaline can lift cars off children. Your body is capable of great strength, but it could also severely damage you, so your brain keeps you a weak, soft bag of jelly.
#2
Image source: localhelic0pter7
People who live in "extreme" conditions for generations adapt in extreme ways. For example people that live in high elevations often have larger lungs and different blood makeup. Or my favorite is the Bajau people that live on the water and spend a lot of their time diving, their spleens have become 50% larger in order to store more blood.
#3
Image source: IamaJarJar
When doing surgery where the doctors have to take out some organs, when placing them back, they don't have to be put back In the exact position there meant to be, your body kind of just, moves the organs into the correct position after the surgery
#4
Image source: BlocterDocterFocter
You hate the sound of your recorded voice because it's missing the low frequency you're used to hearing.
When you talk, you hear your voice as it goes to the air and back to you ear. It also goes through your skull to your ear, and this bone conduction mechanism transmits the low frequencies better than air does.
Your recorded voice only has the air transmitted sound. That causes the dissonance between what you think your voice sounds like, and what it really does. It's also why your voice will (almost) always be higher pitch than you think.
#5
Image source: littlepoot
The heart smells like mushrooms.
Source: I’m a cardiac anesthesiologist
#6
Image source: SlavicSquat1234
Your eyes have a separate immune system from the rest of your body and in a lot of occasions if your body's immune system finds your eyes, they will assume they are a foreign body and blind you.
#7
Image source: LadySygerrik
Humans have stripes, we just normally can’t see them. They’re called Blaschko’s lines and form along the paths of embryonic cell migration. The stripes are sort of U-shaped down our front, V-shaped on our back, wavy on the head and face and we have basic, simple stripes on our extremities.
#8
Image source: MoodyTeeth
Our brains make up, on average, around 2% of our body weight but consume 20% of our caloric intake
#9
Image source: Inner_Inspection6408
Humans have, on average, just as many hairs on their body as chimpanzees, human hair is just a lot shorter and finer.
#10
Your body will reduce your muscle strength to protect your spine. Stand on flat ground, hold your arms out in a t-pose, and have a friend push down on your hand while you try to hold it in place. That's your control, how strong you actually are. Now, remove 1 shoe (or put a book under 1 foot) and repeat with your hips askew so your spine isn't straight. An inch is all it takes. Your strength will be reduced to the point that your friend can use a single finger to push your hand down. Image source: MyNameIsRay#11
Image source: -eDgAR-
Humans are bioluminescent and glow in the dark, but the light that we emit is 1,000 times weaker than our human eyes are able to pick up.
#12
You can calm yourself down by splashing cold water on your face to trigger the mammalian diving reflex. Image source: Cruithne#13
Image source: Hardboiledsoftshell
The reason it's so easy to break your collar bone is because its designed to break.
The way it was explained to me is that its like a circuit breaker. It breaks there to stop the shock of impact getting to your spine
#14
Alzheimer’s disease isn’t just gradual loss of memory. It physically exists in the brain. It’s a physical substance that attacks the brain. Like, if you were able to open the skull of a person suffering from Alzheimer’s disease to take a look at their brain, you would actually see this sticky, fibrous, grey physical matter overtaking their brain. Image source: cccairooo#15
Image source: Bitchmom_6969
When you cry and your nose becomes runny, it's actually your tears.
#16
The appendix is not a vestigial organ. It actually protects good bacteria in the gut. You can live without it, but it’s not just chillin’ in there Image source: S_J_Emerald#17
Image source: _Nugget_UwU
The eyeball is the fastest healing part on your body.
#18
Image source: felipebsr
The surface area of the lungs is about the same size as a tennis court
#19
Scars are not made of "permanent" tissue (they're held together by collagen) and are in a constant state of repair. This repair is facilitated by vitamin C (amongst other things). Yes, this means that people with scurvy (from vitamin C deficiency) will see all their old scars reopen into fresh wounds. Image source: misterway#20
Image source: TexasPatrick
Humans are one of a few species of mammal that oddly don't produce their own vitamin C due to lack of a certain enzyme. Other mammalian species who exhibit this mutation are those contained in the main primate suborder Haplorhinni (monkeys, apes, tarsiers), as well as bats, capybaras, and guinea pigs.
All other mammals produce vitamin C in the liver.
#21
Image source: feliciates
You will sooner die from lack of sleep than lack of food.
You can live, depending on your current body fat and health level, for months without food. Estimates are you that you will die for lack of sleep within 2 weeks
#22
Your body must warm fluids before absorbing them, so drinking ice cold water to hydrate is only burning more energy, and you're not hydrating as quickly. Image source: Cordero_Biggs#23
Image source: blueridge97
Some women can feel the exact moment an egg is released from the ovary during ovulation. Feels like a little pop just on one side. Pretty neat
#24
Image source: demonardvark
X-rays of childrens mouths are nightmare fuel. The second set of teeth to replace baby teeth are already grown and lodged in their skulls. So you'll see two rows of teeth and its freaky looking. They don't grow in when the old ones fall out, they are already loaded in the chamber waiting to get launched.
#25
If you say haaah your breath comes out warm,but when you say Woooh it comes out cold. Image source: Marianmza#26
Image source: CurrentAttention3
You can grow a new human being faster than most missing toenails can grow back
#27
Image source: MissSara101
It's possible to pull a jaw muscle while yawning. I found this out the hard way at work one day.
#28
That there is NOT 20 lbs of toxic poop in your body at any given time. But apparently a ton of people still believe all sorts of ads about some pill or another being able to flush some imaginary "toxins" out of your body like it's going to magically cure you of 20 years of terrible eating and exercise habits. Image source: SolarisIX#29
Image source: Cruithne
39% of people have an extra bone in their knee. 100 years ago only 11% of people had this bone.
#30
If you carry a lot of unprocessed trauma, it can cause psychosomatic autoimmune diseases. Image source: andyroybalDE
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