30+ Fascinating Facts You Didn’t Know About the Human Body

by Shelley Thompson

If the human body were a machine, it would be one of the most incredible inventions ever. Whether created or evolved, we all agree: the human body is remarkable! We have gathered intriguing scientific facts that will make you appreciate what happens inside you. Did you know you can't keep your eyes open when you sneeze? Also, did you know that humans are the only species that blushes? While there are things we wish our body could do, let's appreciate what it already does. You don't need a medical degree to understand how the body works. Here are our top 30+ facts about the human body! Read on.

We Have Two Shades Of Blood

No, we do not have blue blood, no matter how much we wish. Some of us grew up thinking that that physical representation of the circulatory system meant that we have blue blood. However, the human body doesn't have a uniform color of blood.

Our blood is red due to hemoglobins in our red blood cells. Hemoglobin is a protein that makes an iron molecule that transports oxygen around our system. The blood in the human arteries is bright red, while the blood in the veins is dark red. This is all because of hemoglobin.

Smells Cannot Be Detected When a Person Suffers From Anosmia

Imagine a world where you can't smell. That will be a bleak world indeed. Few things make this world worth living, such as our ability to see beautiful people and the ability to perceive things. We won't want to miss the smell of tacos.

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However, some people aren't fortunate. Even though congenital anosmia is a rare condition, it occurs occasionally. Anosmia means that a person is born without a sense of smell. A loss of smell could also mean that the person cannot taste.

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You Cannot Sneeze With Your Eyes Open

Sneezing isn't something a lot of people enjoy doing. Whether it is the way it racks through your body or sends mucus flying out of your nose, sneezing is not high on our favorite activities. Unfortunately, sneezing happens, and we have to deal with it. But did you know that you cannot sneeze with your eyes open?

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You cannot sneeze with your eyes open because of the pressure. The blinking response of your body is active during sneezing to protect your eyes from germs.

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The Average Person Has 250 Hairs Per Eyebrow

Ever wanted to know how many hairs are in those bushy eyebrows of yours? Well, it's about 250; if you have never plucked your eyebrows, you can have as much as 1100 hairs. So, if you want fuller eyebrows, you should stop plucking them. Also, on average, one loses about ten eyebrow hairs every day.

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The good news is that the hair you lose will most likely grow back. It will grow back if there isn't any extensive damage to the area.

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The Sound Your Stomach Makes When Hungry Is Called Borborygmus

Ever heard that strange sound in your tummy when you are hungry? It often sounds like the voice of an ogre living in an echo chamber. However, this sound isn't from a mythical creature; it has a name, Borborygmus.

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Borborygmus is caused by the movement of fluids and gasses in your intestine. This is an entirely natural phenomenon, and everyone has experienced it at one point. However, if you aren't hungry and hear this sound, it could be due to indigestion.

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The Medical Term For Ear Wax Is Cerumen

In our books, there is nothing good about ear wax. It is unsightly and can be very unsettling when you take it out from the ear. It is advisable to clean your ear regularly to get wax and dirt out to prevent buildup. However, even though we don't think ear wax is great, it is helpful to the ear.

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Ear wax protects the skin in your ear against water, insects, and bacteria. Ear wax is also essential for keeping the ear lubricated and clean. The medical term for ear wax is cerumen.

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The Fingers Don't Have Muscles That Aid Movement

The fingers are arguably some of the essential parts of the human body. Cut the fingers off, and life becomes exponentially more difficult. Even having no opposable thumbs can render the person almost useless. The fingers are often underrated.

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Did you know that the fingers don't have any muscles that aid their movement? The muscles that aid movement in the finger are the palm and forearm. There are long tendons that deliver motion from the forearm muscles. These tendons can often be seen under the skin of the wrist.

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Fingernails Grow Twice as Fast as Toenails

Have you ever lost a fingernail? Losing a fingernail is often an excruciating process. It's easy to break a fingernail, but growing it back takes a long time. If you lose your nail, it will take about six months to regain and regrow fully.

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However, when it comes to regrowing toenails, the long process becomes even longer. If you were to lose a toenail, it would take at least 12 to 18 months before your body can fully regrow it. Also, your fingernails grow approximately 3 millimeters per month, while your toenails grow 1.5 millimeters per month.

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There are Over One Hundred Thousand Hairs On The Scalp

Growing up, we have often heard that the hairs on the human scalp are uncountable. But, thanks to science, we can now approximate just how many hairs are on our scalps. There are over a hundred thousand hairs on the scalp; that is a lot of hair.

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Each hair from a person's head grows from a single tube-like hole. This hole is what is known as the follicle. The hair that sticks out of the skin is called the hair shaft.

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Messages to the Brain From the Nerves Travel at Neck-Break Speeds

The human brain is often called the fastest computer in the world. It has earned this name because of the sheer amount of information the brain processes per time. The human brain can see pictures and process sound and taste simultaneously without freezing or crashing. No computer in the world comes close to that amount of power.

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While the brain takes all the glory, we should not forget the nerves constantly firing signals to the brain. Signals to the brain can travel slow or fast. At slow speeds, the signals travel at one mph, while at fast speeds, it travels 268 mph. The quickest nerve impulses that have even been recorded were at 288 mph.

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The Human Body Has About 35 Trillion Cells

If all the cells in the human body could have the size and mass of human beings, and if they were placed in the world, the earth won't be able to contain them all. Earth has approximately 7 billion people; this means there are 5000 times more cells in the human body than people worldwide.

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There are approximately 35 trillion cells in the human body. However, this number differs depending on one's build and health.

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The Femur is the Most Prominent Bone in the Human Body

The femur holds an essential place when it comes to your ability to stand up and walk. If your femur bone suffers a fracture or breakage, you may have a lot of trouble. The femur is the strongest and longest bone in the human body.

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One great thing about the femur is that it supports many muscles, ligaments, and tendons. The femur head fits into your hip socket, and the ends of it are connected to your knee. The femur is more commonly known as the thigh bone.

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Some People Can Hear Colors

Imagine hearing colors? That doesn't make much sense, right? But, it is possible. Thanks to the weirdness of the human body, some people can experience sound as colors. The condition which allows a person to hear colors is called chromesthesia.

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Chromesthesia is a type of synesthesia. This means that heard sounds evoke an experience of colors. This condition was common amongst some of the world's greatest artists. Famous artists such as Franz Liszt, Billy Joel, and Vincent Van Gogh all had chromesthesia.

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A Passionate Kiss Can Have The Same Effects as Skydiving

Daredevils like to push their limits by engaging in activities most people consider dangerous. Daredevils also enjoy the rush of body chemicals they get during these activities. So, it isn't a surprise to see some people enjoy skydiving.

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But why risk your life to hit dopamine when you can kiss and get that same rush? The dopamine released during a kiss stimulates some parts of the brain and causes us to get a high of euphoria. A great kiss can trigger the same feeling we get when we do something dangerous and extreme such as skydiving.

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Uvula Means Grape In Latin

The uvula is another essential body part that helps us with speech. We need to thank the uvula for keeping us from choking on our food when we eat. The uvula is a fleshy extension that hangs down the back of the mouth's soft palate. One of the functions of the uvula is to close off the passage of the nasopharynx when we swallow.

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The uvula stops food from entering the nasal cavity. It also produces thin saliva that keeps the throat lubricated.

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The Smallest Finger Contributes to about 50% of Hand Strength

We've been told not to look down on anyone just because they are small. This is especially true when it comes to our fingers because the littlest finger contributes about half of our hand strength. The pinky, along with the ring finger, acts as a power supporter.

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Dexterity is provided by the thumb, middle finger, and index finger. But, if you want to maintain a firm grip, the pinky makes it possible. If you lose a finger, doctors usually recommend losing your index finger.

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Dead Skin Ends Up In The Atmosphere

A large amount of dead skin comprises billions and tons of dust in the Earth's atmosphere. Also, research has shown that dead human skin is essential for cleaning the air.

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It is possible because dust from the dead skin has oils that can clean the ozone. This is nature's way of making sure that nothing goes to waste.

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Human Genome Is Very Extensive

The human genome is so extensive and mind-blowing. Did you know that if you had a typing speed of sixty words per minute and maintained it for eight hours per day, it would still take fifty years to type the human genome completely? You need to pause and take in how amazing those facts are.

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The total length of the human genome is over three billion base pairs of DNA. It is organized into twenty-two paired chromosomes.

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The Number Of Cells In The Human Brain Cannot Be Counted In One Lifetime

The brain has a vast number of cells. Scientists estimate that it would take over 3000 years to be fully counted. An average adult human brain contains about a hundred billion neurons. The brain also has just as much glia or even more.

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Neurons are more famous than glia, but they are both critical for the brain to function correctly. Neurons are excitable cells, while glia support cells with many functions.

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The Human Body Is Stronger Than Steel

It can be hard to believe, but the human body is stronger than steel. It is hard to grasp when you think of how easy bones break and crack. However, when you have a bone and a piece of steel of the same thickness and length, the bone will be about five times stronger than the steel bar.

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This means that bone is a much more lethal weapon than steel. This can also explain why some of the world's first men used bones as weapons. But, bones are brittle, which is why they fracture easily at impact.

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The Bumps On Your Tongue Are Not The Taste Buds

Growing up, we often assumed that those bumps on our tongues were our taste buds. We even thought the tongue had different taste zones where we could taste different flavors. Most of these theories are unproven by science.

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In reality, your actual taste buds are so tiny that they can't be seen with naked eyes. The bumps on the tongue are known as the papillae. The papillae are sensory organs resting on top of the taste buds. Did you know that the taste cells in the taste buds live for two weeks before new ones replace them?

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Twelve Percent Of The Population are Left Handed

In the world today, there are only about 12% of left-handed people. This means that a larger population of the world is right-handed. The remaining one percent of the world is ambidextrous. Which hand do you write with?

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Left-handedness has become more socially acceptable, but some parents still train their children to write using their right hand.

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A Person Produces 25,000 Quarts Of Saliva In Their Lifetime

In one lifetime, a person produces 25,000 quarts of saliva. That is a lot of spit! But let us put it into perspective so you can understand just how huge that amount of saliva is. Twenty-five thousand quarts is enough to fill two average-sized swimming pools. So, if the saliva you have produced in life had been somehow extracted, it would serve two pools.

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However, the saliva is mostly recycled instead of produced. This is because human beings are constantly swallowing and absorbing saliva. Your body takes in about 30 ml of saliva in an hour.

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A Foot has an Average of 500,000 Sweat Glands

Ever wondered why your sock starts to smell after prolonged wearing? One of the biggest reasons socks smell is sweat produced by your foot's sweat gland. Your foot has an average of 500,000 sweat glands.

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You need to wear fresh socks regularly to prevent bacteria build-up. The soles of your feet contain more glands per square centimeter; the soles produce approximately half a pint of sweat daily.

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The Eyelids Have The Thinnest Amount Of Skin On Your Body

The eyelids can move both intentionally and unintentionally. The muscles that retract the eyelids are called levator palpebrae superioris.

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The skin on the eyelids is the thinnest in the body, which makes them quite delicate. On the other hand, the feet have the thickest skin on the body.

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The Steps Of an Adult Takes Up a Lot Of Muscle Movement

We can all agree that walking can sometimes be strenuous, especially if we have to walk very long distances. However, walking is a form of exercise, and doctors even recommend some patients speed walk. We have figured out why long walking distances are strenuous, and this is because of the sheer amount of muscles involved.

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The human body uses up to 200 muscles to take a single step. The muscles involved in walking are the quadriceps, buttock muscles, hamstrings, calf muscles, stomach muscles, and other secondary muscles.

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The Liver is the Only Organ That Can Regenerate

Regeneration is a pretty cool biological process. Unfortunately, it's not a common phenomenon amongst humans. Reptiles such as lizards can regrow limbs if they lose them. That would have come in handy for humans. Thankfully, we aren't too far down on the regeneration scale.

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The liver can regenerate back to its full size even if more than half of it is original mass. Unlike other organs, a scar replaces tissue in the liver. The liver has the ability to regenerate due to central liver homeostasis.

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The Space Between The Eyebrow Has a Name

The eyebrow is an often overlooked part of the human body. However, the importance of eyebrows cannot be overemphasized. Whether keeping our eyes clean and clear or adding to our beauty, eyebrows are essential to the human body.

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There is also something interesting about the eyebrows, which is the space between them. The distance between the eyebrows is called the glabella. Glabella is from the Latin word Glabellus. The glabella is used clinically to determine how dehydrated a person is.

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The Blood Of an Adult Circulates About 12,000 Miles a Day

Blood is our life source. Every day it travels distances all around the body, ensuring that we are alive and kicking. But did you know that the blood of an adult circulates about 12,000 miles daily? Let us put it into perspective so you can understand.

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Imagine that you are traveling from the east to the west across the pacific ocean. Also, the pulse you usually feel is your blood stopping and starting as it moves through your arteries.

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10,000 Pounds of Food is Processed by an Average Human in a Lifetime

Many people don't like to see themselves as gluttons. However, at the end of an average human's life, we would have all eaten an enormous amount of food. This amount of food can run into 10,000 pounds, about 35 tons of food in a lifetime.

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Also, apart from food, the average person will ingest about a hundred milligrams of dirt daily. That is a lot of dirt. At the end of one's life, one would have consumed six pounds of mud.

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Humans Consume 12,000 Gallons Of Water In a Lifetime

Drinking water is a habit appreciated in the United States. Some apps are designed to remind people to drink water and limit sodas. Most people in the United States will rather chug bottles of soda or beer than drink water. This is very unhealthy and can lead to many health problems.

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However, those who drink water at the end of 70 would have consumed about 12,000 gallons. Water is excellent for cardiovascular health.

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An Average Person Walks 100,000 Miles In a Lifetime

This equals walking around four times if the person walks along the line of the equator. If anyone could start walking immediately when they are born, by the time they are in their old age, they would have walked around the world.

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One hundred thousand miles is about 160,934 kilometers long. It is important to note that a healthy person can walk about 20-30 miles a day without stopping. Trained walkers can go for 26.2 miles in about seven hours. Walking is also a proven way to improve your cardiovascular health.

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Stomach Lining Constantly Replaces Itself

Did you know that if your stomach lining doesn't get replaced, your stomach will digest itself? That's mind-blowing! Thankfully, every four to five days, the lining of your stomach replaces itself, effectively stopping your stomach from digesting itself. The cells in your gut that have come in contact with food replace themselves every five minutes.

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One of the best ways to repair the damage your stomach might have undergone during digestion is by taking probiotics.

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The Fear Of Vomiting Is Called Emetophobia

Many of us don't see vomiting as a big deal. After pulling an all-nighter with the boys and drinking a lot, we vomit and move on with our lives. Sometimes, the food we eat or the sights we see can cause us to throw up. While the feeling of throwing up may be unpleasant, most people don't see it as a big deal.

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However, some people have a morbid fear of throwing up. Emetophobia is the fear of vomiting, which could include different subcategories such as throwing up in public, watching the act of vomiting, or seeing vomit. The word comes from the Greek word emein, which means to vomit.

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The lifespan of eyebrow hair lasts an average of four months

Again, we bring you another eyebrow fact. The lifespan of eyebrow hair lasts an average of four months long. This is the average time it takes for the hair to fall off and grow back. Also, research has shown that when you overpluck your eyebrow, the eyebrow will find it difficult to reach its whole life span.

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So, if you enjoy plucking your eyebrows to give them a particular shape, you may be doing your eyebrow more harm than good. If you are looking to speed up the growth of your eyebrows, massage them with coconut oil.

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The largest lymphatic organ in the body is the spleen

The spleen is the largest lymphatic organ in the body. The spleen is located on your left side, under your ribs, and above the stomach. It serves as a filter and stores blood too. The spleen is responsible for producing white blood cells that defend the body and fight infection.

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Thanks to the spleen, old and damaged blood is replaced by fresh ones. The spleen measures a size of 12cm or five inches. It also produces lymphocytes.

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The body's bone marrow produces white blood cells

If you've seen a human bone before, you would have noticed the yellow-colored tissues found at the center of the bone. Those yellow-colored tissues are the white blood cells. The spongy tissues inside some bones usually contain immature cells.

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The bone marrow is replenished by your body just like it replenishes cells. This means that the bone marrow cannot be sold for as much as one would sell a kidney or any other valuable organ.

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Brushing Too Hard Is Bad For You

A big part of taking care of your mouth hygiene is by brushing. We are encouraged to brush our teeth twice daily, once when we wake up and the second before bed. However, brushing too hard can cause more damage to your teeth than you intended.

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When you brush too hard, you end up damaging your enamel. This will make your teeth extremely sensitive to both hot and cold food. Besides damaging your enamel, brushing too hard will damage your gum and teeth in the long run.

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Wisdom Teeth Don't Have a Purpose

Wisdom teeth are vestigial. These teeth have helped in grinding plant tissue. The last set of wisdom teeth provided our ancestors to help them chew rough and coarse food. Rough foods such as roots, meats, and nuts were all chewed by our ancestors using wisdom teeth.

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However, today, wisdom teeth do not serve any purpose. Researchers believed that our ancestors had more giant jaws and more teeth. Today, wisdom teeth are removed to prevent any complications that may occur due to it continuing to grow inside the mouth.

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Scientists Don't Yet Know Why We Yawn

We yawn when we wake up from sleep. We yawn when we are tired. Sometimes, we also yawn when we see other people yawning. While yawning is a big part of our life activity, scientists don't understand why we do it. Some scientists believe we yawn to cool our brains and keep them from clotting.

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Another reason suggests that our bodies cause us to yawn when we need to wake up. The motion from yawning also helps to stretch the lungs and their tissues. However, scientists are yet to figure out exactly why we do it.

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Goosebumps are a state of the skin caused by cold, fear, or excitement

Most people know what a goosebump is. But for those who don't, here is a breakdown. Ever watched a scary movie, and you suddenly feel a chill, and then you see little spots rising on your skin? Those are goosebumps. The question is, how do they form?

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Goosebumps result from a contraction of a minimal muscle attached to each hair. Each of those muscles causes a shallow depression on the skin's surface, which then causes the surrounding area to protrude.

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Only Humans Have Chins

We share many similarities with other animals, especially our cousin, the chimp. But, we have one feature that no other animal in the world has- chins. The chin is a specific term for the little piece of bone that extends from the jaw. It isn't just a lower part of your face.

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Even though it may seem odd, humans are the only animals with a chin. Researchers have postulated that we developed chins to help us when we chew.

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The human body stiffens after dying

We all wonder about dying. Hence, most of us have wondered what happens to the human body after death. The human body experiences a condition known as rigor mortis after it dies. Rigor mortis causes muscles in the body to become stiff and rigid.

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Rigor mortis also helps coroners estimate a person's time of death. It also helps to ascertain if the body has been moved after death. The condition sets in about three to four hours after death and lasts up to 36 hours.

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The Nose Of a Human Can Detect Over One Trillion Smells

While we don't have the sharpest nose amongst animal species, we have a pretty good nose too. The nose contains about four hundred smell receptors capable of detecting odors and can smell one trillion odors.

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However, even though we can detect many smells, we can only tell apart about 10,000 of them. This is why dogs have a better sense of smell because they can detect a wide range of odors and tell them apart.

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When you crack your knuckles, it isn't your bones that make the sounds

You probably often think that when you crack your knuckles, your bones make those sounds. However, the cracking sound isn't your bones but the tiny bubbles that form the fluids of your joints. When pressure changes, those bubbles will pop, creating a cracking sound.

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Before, people believed that cracking your knuckles could cause arthritis. Fortunately, modern research has shown no correlation between cracking your knuckles and having arthritis. So, there we have it! Forty-five fascinating facts about the human body. The human body is springing up surprises every day for the scientific community and will continue to do so for a long time. The best way to ensure that you keep your body in optimum shape is by regularly eating the right foods and paying close attention to them. We hope this list helped you to fall in love with your body more.

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