15 Facts About The Human Body
PHOTO: Yueke
1.You don't actually breathe through both nostrils at the same time.
According to research published in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings, humans inhale and exhale through one nostril at a time!
2.Ten percent of your body mass is made up of your blood.
The average adult human blood supply clocks in at around eight to 10 pints or roughly five liters. As such, your body has enough iron to make a three-inch-long nail.
3.The average adult human has 206 bones.
Over half of the human bones can be found in the upper and lower extremities.
PHOTO: Yueke
4. Veins, which carry blood to the heart, have one-way valves that ensure blood flows in only one direction.
Arteries, which carry blood away from the heart, don't need valves because the blood pressure from the heart is strong enough to make blood flow in one direction.
5. In the average human adult body, there are at least 67 different species of bacteria residing in the belly button alone.
The human body is teeming with microbes. Our skin is even said to have its own thriving ecosystem!
6. Most people shed up to 22 kilograms of skin in their lifetimes.
You naturally shed dead skin cells daily, but you can also speed up the process when you wash your body with soap or exfoliate your skin.
PHOTO: Yueke
7. Your body produces enough heat in 30 minutes to boil half a gallon of water.
Though the average body temperature is 98.6 F, humans can expend roughly 350,000 joules of energy per hour – the same amount of energy that a 100-watt light bulb gives off.
8. Humans have 46 chromosomes.
Or 23 pairs of chromosomes. Meanwhile, peas have 14 and crayfish have 200.
9. A quarter of human bones are found in the feet.
The average human foot has 26 bones.
PHOTO: Yueke
10. Humans are the only animals that cry when emotional.
Other animals may shed tears, but they don't do so out of sadness.
11. Identical twins have an identical smell.
Everyone has a unique smell, except for identical twins.
12. Humans share 60% of their DNA with bananas.
It's common knowledge that humans share 96% of their DNA with chimpanzees. But did you know we're also closely genetically related to bananas and slugs, sharing up to 70% of DNA?
PHOTO: Yueke
13. Your height differs depending on the time of day.
You're taller in the morning than you are in the evening because the cartilage between your bones compresses throughout the day.
14. The human heart delivers blood to the body through a superhighway of blood vessels.
That highway consists of approximately 60,000 miles of blood vessels.
15. Most people produce enough saliva in their lifetimes to fill two swimming pools.
Saliva protects our mouths from oral infections while also helping us begin digesting our food.
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