Human body is an amazing machine. It performs several complex functions at the same time. It can breathe air, digest food, and pump blood, all at the same time. In fact, we are not even aware of several processes that go on inside our body. Won’t it be interesting to find out more about this incredible machine? Let us learn some amazing facts about human body.
Tongue Facts
Human tongue gets the credit for some amazing facts about human body. Our tongue is pretty strong, as it is made up of 8 muscles. They allow us to move the tongue from side to side, roll it, and to speak. There are 2,000 to 4,000 taste buds in action on the surface of our tongues, which help us to relish our food.
Are you surprised to learn that our tongue prints are as unique as our fingerprints? Yes, no two tongues look exactly the same. Like other parts of our body, the tongue can also become fat! It is mostly an indication of some underlying disease.
The hard-working heart
Our heart is a muscle, and it is a very hard-working one. On an average, it beats 100,000 times a day. Heart is constantly engaged in pumping blood to all parts of the body. With every beat, our heart is pumping two ounces of blood. Over the day, around 2,500 gallons of blood get pumped through the heart. The moment heart decides to stop, we are kicked off from the world!
Largest and smallest muscles
Did you know that the largest muscle in human body is the one on which you are sitting? The buttocks, or the gluteus maximus, is the largest muscle in our body. It has many functions such as helping us to stand, to maintain a standing position, and to climb stairs.
Smallest muscle in human body is called the stapedius muscle. It is located in the middle ear. Stapedius muscle is just over one millimeter in length. Its function is to stabilize the bone in the middle ear.
Longest and shortest bones
The thighbone or femur is the longest bone in human body. It runs from the hip-socket to the knees. The femur is almost 19.9 inches long. It is also one of the strongest bones in our body.
The shortest bone in human body is the one to which the smallest muscle is attached! Stapes located in the middle ear is the shortest bone in human body. It is a stirrup-shaped tiny bone whose function is transmitting the sound waves from the outer ear to the inner ear.
Eye-opener – Fastest muscle in human body
The eyes also have their share to contribute to the amazing facts about human body. The extraocular muscles that are responsible for moving the eye in different directions are the fastest muscles in human body. They are quick to react to any stimulus. The eye muscles can contract in less than 1/100th of a second. A blink of an eye normally takes only 100 to 150 milliseconds.
Along with reacting quickly, the eye muscles can also prompt other muscles to do so. When you see an object hurled at you, your first impulse is to close your eyes, and then raise your hands to block the thing.
Organ without blood supply
Strange but true fact about human body – there is an organ which does not receive blood supply. Cornea, the transparent front part of the eye, does not receive blood supply. This is because the cornea needs to be transparent so that it won’t block our vision.
Cornea receives oxygen from the air, and nutrients from the tear fluid. It is the fastest healing tissue in the human body. An abrasion in cornea will heal in 24 to 36 hours.
Babies don’t shed tears
It is a funny biology fact that new-born babies who cry all the time don’t shed a single teardrop! They keep howling day and night, but no tears come out of their eyes. Why? Tear ducts do not develop until the babies are about a month old. At the time of birth, babies have just the sufficient quantity of tears to keep their eyes moist.
Another interesting fact is that new-born babies don’t have fully equipped salivary glands. As their initial food is in liquid form, they don’t need much saliva.
Getting goosebumps
One of the most amazing facts about human body is that our goosebumps are just the leftovers of the evolutionary process. Goosebumps are the tiny bumps that we get all over the body when we feel cold. They are caused by the contraction of muscles surrounding hair follicles.
In our animal ancestors, a thick coat of standing hairs served as an insulation from the cold. It also helped them to fend off their predators with a threatening appearance. As humans evolved, the thick coat of hair disappeared, but the goosebumps stayed.
Why do we blush?
This is a question for which scientists have no definite answer. Humans are the only beings who can blush. We blush for no obvious reasons, just to create more embarrassment in an already difficult situation. But scientists have an answer for the question, what causes blushing.
Blushing is caused by the sudden release of the hormone, adrenaline. When we are caught up in a stressful situation, there will be an increase in the release of adrenaline. This in turn causes our hearts to beat faster. More blood and oxygen are supplied to muscles and organs. The veins on our face react to this by dilating and blushing. But this reaction is typical to the facial veins. This is why we go red only in the face.
Brain – the control center
Human brain hides some of the most amazing facts about human body. It is the most complex organ in our body. It controls all our actions. Our talk, walk, sleep and everything else is controlled by the brain.
Do you know that the brain can send electrical signals just like a computer? Human brain is made up of tiny nerve cells called neurons. These neurons communicate with each other by sending electrical signals. This information is in turn transmitted to different parts of the body through the nervous system. There is a strange contradiction in the control exerted by brain. The right side of brain controls the left side of the body and vice versa.
Now we know how extraordinary our body is. If you wish to gather more of such amazing facts, explore our Fascinating Facts section.
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