There’s absolutely no doubt that there are weird and fascinating facts about the human body that you probably didn’t even know about. So today, we’ve compiled a list of the 20 weird facts about the human body, and they are sure to surprise and astonish you!
From mysterious organs to bizarre biology, these fascinating tidbits of information will have you questioning everything you thought you knew about your own body. So whether you’re curious about your own anatomy or want to learn something new, read on.
1. Your skull is full of holes. Besides your eyes, nose, and mouth, there are many other small openings called foramina. These allow nerves and blood vessels to reach your face. The largest hole in your skull is actually at its base, where it meets your spine. This opening is called the foramen magnum.
2. You lose bones as you grow older. You may be wondering how it could happen since bones are covered by skin. But many bones, like the ones in your skull, fuse together as you grow older. So you’re born with about 300 bones but end up with just 206.
3. Your heart pumps about 1.5 gallons or 5.7 liters of blood every minute. Over the course of a day, that adds up to around 2,160 gallons. That means your heart circulates about 2 trillion gallons of blood in an average lifetime. That’s a lot of blood!
4. Our blood contains gold – around 0.2 milligrams of it. Gold is one of the many metals in our blood, including iron, chromium, manganese, zinc, lead, and copper. In addition, gold has been found to have antioxidant properties that help protect our cells from damage.
5. There are 60,000 miles of blood vessels in your body. That’s enough to go around the world twice! Your blood vessels are essential for life. They transport blood throughout your body, delivering nutrients and oxygen to your cells.
6. Our skin can produce more than three gallons of sweat per day. With more than 2.5 million sweat glands spread across the surface of our skin, we have more sweat glands per square inch than any other animal. And men have four times the number of sweat glands on their bodies as women do.
7. Brown eyes are really blue eyes underneath. The only difference between brown and blue eyes is a very thin layer of pigment on the surface. Therefore, any person can receive surgery to remove the thin layer to make their eyes blue.
8. Women blink about twice as much as men do – around 27,360 times a day versus 15,840 times for men. The difference may be because women tend to use more makeup than men, which can irritate the eyes and cause them to water. Women also tend to have more sensitive skin than men, which can lead to irritation and increased blinking.
9. Your liver can regenerate. Liver regeneration is an amazing process that our bodies are capable of. This makes liver transplants possible, as donors can give half their liver, and the remaining part will grow back. Amazing how our bodies are able to adapt and heal in this way!
10. The acid in your stomach is strong enough to melt your skin. So how come it doesn’t burn your stomach? That’s because a thick layer of mucus protects your stomach lining, keeping all that acid inside where it churns with your food.
Sometimes though, gastric acid can leak up into your esophagus – which doesn’t have that same mucus protection. And when that happens, you experience that burning feeling known as heartburn.
11. Next on our list of weird facts about the human body is your nose helps you to find a mate. That characteristic smell of a person’s perfume, cologne, shampoo, or soap is vital to sexual arousal. The smell of sweat also directly affects sexual receptors in the brain. And if you lose your ability to smell, your sexual drive will decrease.
12. You can get a chubby tongue. As you pack on the pounds, don’t be surprised if you notice that your tongue starts to get bigger, too! That’s because tongues are actually high in fat. In fact, studies have found that there is a correlation between obesity and sleep apnea. The size and weight of the tongue can block breathing during sleep and cause significant health issues.
13. The human body is an amazing thing. It can heal cuts, broken bones, and even diseases. But one part of the body cannot heal itself: teeth. This is because they are covered in enamel, which is not a living tissue. So instead, our pearly whites rely on us to care for them through brushing, flossing, and regular dental check-ups.
14. Ears are capable of cleaning themselves. The earwax inside your ears is a mixture of sweat, oil, and dead skin cells, which forms a barrier inside your ear canal and helps keep your ears clean. The sticky earwax will trap debris and particles and shield your ears.
15. The expectation of sex makes hair grow faster. That’s why men’s hair grows faster than women’s! This is because of the increased blood flow to the area, which provides more nutrients to the follicles. So, if you’re looking to grow your hair out faster, start thinking about sex!
16. Contrary to popular belief, fingernails stop growing after death. They just appear longer because the skin retracts when you die. The skin around your nails dries out and pulls back, making your nails appear longer.
17. Your belly button can leak urine. The urachus is a tube connecting a fetus’s bladder to the navel during pregnancy. Sometimes, this tube doesn’t close properly, and urine can leak out. Surgery is generally needed to fix this issue.
18. The length from your elbow to your wrist is the same length as your foot. Go ahead and try it out!
19. There are approximately 1 million bacteria per square inch in your armpits. It’s also home to around 500,000 sweat glands. Sweat in itself is odorless. What causes body odor is when the bacteria interact with sweat.
20. Fingers are weird, especially the ring finger. Try this out. Curve your middle finger inward, and lay your hand flat on any even surface. Then lift your thumb, your index finger, and then your pinkie. No problem, right? Now try the ring finger. You can’t lift it up because it shares a muscle with your middle and pinky fingers and can’t work independently.
We hope you enjoyed our list of weird facts about the human body. Which one’s your favorite? Let us know by commenting down below. Also, check out our “100+ Weirdest Stock Photos Online” post.