Eleven insane facts about your body

The Citizen

2 days ago

Turns out we are able to smell over a trillion different smells. That's probably why it's so easy to smell a rat in parliament.
Okay. So, forget about wokery and body positive, naked stares into the mirror for a moment. Your body is already perfect, designed as if it came straight from Silicon Valley's best geniuses, and when nothing goes wrong, it works like clockwork. No reboots required.
And even though you may think you know your body, what happens underneath your skin is more than just what we know on the surface. It's incredible, it's delicate, and sometimes downright scary. Isaac Asimov's science fiction has nothing on the mysteries of the human composition.
Your stomach lining gets replaced every three to four days
Did you know that if your body didn't do this, it would end up digesting itself? It renews constantly, because stem cells are working away in the gastric depths of your body to keep your gut from becoming your next meal.
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Your brain devours a fifth of all your energy
This has nothing to do with intellect but everything to do with keeping the machine going. Even though your brain weighs in at only two per cent of your total body weight, it burns up almost twenty per cent of all available energy. Whether you're thinking, dreaming at night or simply picking your nose, it all takes energy, and your brain is processing it.
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By weight, bones are stronger than steel
Gram for gram, your bones can take a better beating than a metal rod. Bone handles around 1195 kilograms per centimetre. And unlike steel, which must be welded with joints to fix, bones can also heal.
Livers are clean, but they self-respawn too
You can cut off three-quarters of your liver and share it with Hannibal 'the cannibal' Lecter. It will bounce back and regenerate itself. No other organ does this.
Like our pets, humans also shed
Actually, people lose about 30 000 to 40 000 skin cells a minute. It's enough to fill thousands of snow globes. In a way, bits of you never leave the boardroom.
Your small intestine is about as long as a short bus
Can you believe that your small intestine is coiled, like a hosepipe, inside your body? Stretched out, it's as long as a short bus, around six or seven metres.
Your nose can identify over a trillion smells
So maybe there is something to snooty wine tasters' notes of lemongrass and teff in that expensive bottle of Chardonnay. Turns out we are able to smell over a trillion different smells. That's probably why it's so easy to smell a rat in parliament.
You're shorter in the afternoons
Thanks to gravity, your spinal discs decompress while you sleep, giving you up to a centimetre of bonus height when you wake up. Later in the day, you're much, much shorter again.
Skeletons rebuild themselves every 10 years
Now, only if that meant wrinkles are ironed out every decade. Cosmetic brands would be out of business, and what would you do with that Botox appointment? But the human skeleton, your own skull and bones, rebuilds itself all the time. Old bones are broken down and replaced by fresh stock every ten years.
If only load shedding could be edited from our minds. We all blink around 20 000 times a day, but we never see our own blackouts. That's because our brains edit them out before our conscious minds even get to notice them. Imagine if this were possible with failing state-owned companies.
Your beats are around 100 000 times a day
Imagine falling in love at this pace. Not even Casanova would be able to keep up. But it's incredible for a muscle that's the size of your fist. It packs a helluva punch.
*Please note that all facts were validated through referenced academic literature. Sources available on request.
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