7 Mind-Blowing Facts About the Human Body
The human body is amazing. Every day of our lives, a myriad of systems work together in perfect combination to provide the miracle of life. With such a complex machine powering our existence, it may be unsurprising to discover that there are some stranger truths within it. Check out this list of seven mind-blowing facts about the human body.
1. Adults have fewer bones than babies.
If you thought you had a lot of bones, think again. Adult humans actually have less bones than newborn babies. We start our lives with 350 bones. However, some of these bones fuse together as we grow up. By the time we reach adulthood, that number will have dwindled to only 206.
2. We shed 600,000 particles of skin every hour.
If you thought your pet was the only one shedding, think again. We lose approximately 600,000 particles of skin every hour, or between .03 to .09 kg. This works out to roughly 1.5 pounds of skin each year. By the age of 70, we will likely have lost nearly 105 pounds of skin.
3. The strongest muscle in the human body is in the jaw.
Based on weight ratio, you may be shocked to hear that the strongest muscle in the human body is the masseter, or jaw muscle.
4. Some people can hear the sound of their own eyeballs moving.
It’s called superior canal dehiscence syndrome and causes every sound within the body to be amplified. According to this article, a man described “hearing his eyes scratching like sandpaper every time they moved in their sockets.”
5. In one lifetime, the average person produces two swimming pools’ worth of saliva.
Every minute of the day, our body produces saliva to assist in swallowing and maintain acid levels in the mouth. Since it’s operational nearly 24/7, a lot of saliva is getting produced. Over a lifetime, we pump out about 25,000 quarts or two swimming pools’ worth of spit. That’s no pool I’d like to swim in!
5. Everyone has a unique tongue print.
Fingerprints aren’t the only special thing about humans. Each individual has their own unique tongue print. In fact, some researchers have looked into it as an alternative to thumb printing for identity verification.
7. In a lifetime, you’ll likely process about 150,000 pounds of food.
For a person who lives to the age of 75, that’s roughly 1800 pounds of food a year! Talk about a lot.