Some Unusual Facts Some Unusual Facts About The Human BodyAbout The Human Body

Prof T. K. G. NamboodhiriProf T. K. G. NamboodhiriAdapted fromAdapted from

16 Unusual Facts About the Human Body16 Unusual Facts About the Human Body by by the Editors of Publications International, Ltd.the Editors of Publications International, Ltd.

http://health.howstuffworks.com/16-unusual-http://health.howstuffworks.com/16-unusual-facts-about-the-human-body1.htmfacts-about-the-human-body1.htm

1: Tongue Print1: Tongue Print

Don't stick out your Don't stick out your tongue if you want tongue if you want to hide your to hide your identity. Similar to identity. Similar to fingerprints, fingerprints, everyone also has everyone also has a unique tongue a unique tongue print!print!

2: Shedding2: Shedding

Your pet isn't the only Your pet isn't the only one in the house with one in the house with a shedding problem. a shedding problem. Humans shed about Humans shed about 600,000 particles of 600,000 particles of skin every hour. That skin every hour. That works out to about 1.5 works out to about 1.5 pounds each year, so pounds each year, so the average person the average person will lose around 105 will lose around 105 pounds of skin by age pounds of skin by age 70. 70.

3: Bone Count3: Bone Count

An adult has fewer An adult has fewer bones than a baby. bones than a baby. We start off life We start off life with 350 bones, with 350 bones, but because bones but because bones fuse together fuse together during growth, we during growth, we end up with only end up with only 206 as adults. 206 as adults.

4: New Stomach4: New Stomach

Did you know that Did you know that you get a new you get a new stomach lining stomach lining every three to four every three to four days? If you didn't, days? If you didn't, the strong acids the strong acids your stomach uses your stomach uses to digest food to digest food would also digest would also digest your stomach. your stomach.

5: Scent Remembering5: Scent Remembering

Your nose is not as Your nose is not as sensitive as a sensitive as a dog's, but it can dog's, but it can remember 50,000 remember 50,000 different scents different scents

6: Long Intestines6: Long Intestines

The small intestine is The small intestine is about four times as about four times as long as the average long as the average adult is tall. If it adult is tall. If it weren't looped back weren't looped back and forth upon itself, and forth upon itself, its length of 18 to 23 its length of 18 to 23 feet wouldn't fit into feet wouldn't fit into the abdominal cavity, the abdominal cavity, making things rather making things rather messy messy

7: Bacteria7: Bacteria

This will really This will really make your skin make your skin crawl: Every crawl: Every square inch of skin square inch of skin on the human body on the human body has about 32 has about 32 million bacteria on million bacteria on it, but fortunately, it, but fortunately, the vast majority of the vast majority of them are harmless them are harmless

8: Source of Body Odor8: Source of Body Odor

The source of The source of smelly feet, like smelly feet, like smelly armpits, is smelly armpits, is sweat. And people sweat. And people sweat buckets from sweat buckets from their feet. A pair of their feet. A pair of feet have 500,000 feet have 500,000 sweat glands and sweat glands and can produce more can produce more than a pint of than a pint of sweat a day. sweat a day.

9: Sneeze Speed9: Sneeze Speed

The air from a human The air from a human sneeze can travel at sneeze can travel at speeds of 100 miles speeds of 100 miles per hour or more -- per hour or more -- another good reason another good reason to cover your nose to cover your nose and mouth when you and mouth when you sneeze -- or duck sneeze -- or duck when you hear one when you hear one coming your way. coming your way.

10: Blood Distance10: Blood Distance

Blood has a long road Blood has a long road to travel: Laid end to to travel: Laid end to end, there are about end, there are about 60,000 miles of blood 60,000 miles of blood vessels in the human vessels in the human body. And the hard-body. And the hard-working heart pumps working heart pumps about 2,000 gallons of about 2,000 gallons of blood through those blood through those vessels every day. vessels every day.

11: Saliva Quantity11: Saliva Quantity

You may not want You may not want to swim in your to swim in your spit, but if you spit, but if you saved it all up, you saved it all up, you could. In a lifetime, could. In a lifetime, the average person the average person produces about produces about 25,000 quarts of 25,000 quarts of saliva -- enough to saliva -- enough to fill two swimming fill two swimming pools! pools!

12: Snore Loudness12: Snore Loudness

By 60 years of age, 60-By 60 years of age, 60-percent of men and 40-percent of men and 40-percent of women will percent of women will snore. But the sound of a snore. But the sound of a snore can seem deafening. snore can seem deafening. While snores average While snores average around 60 decibels, the around 60 decibels, the noise level of normal noise level of normal speech, they can reach speech, they can reach more than 80 decibels. more than 80 decibels. Eighty decibels is as loud Eighty decibels is as loud as the sound of a as the sound of a pneumatic drill breaking pneumatic drill breaking up concrete. Noise levels up concrete. Noise levels over 85 decibels are over 85 decibels are considered hazardous to considered hazardous to the human ear. the human ear.

13: Hair Color and Count13: Hair Color and Count

Blondes have more hair. Hair Blondes have more hair. Hair color helps determine how color helps determine how dense the hair on your head dense the hair on your head is, and natural blondes top is, and natural blondes top the list. The average human the list. The average human head has 100,000 hair head has 100,000 hair follicles, each of which is follicles, each of which is capable of producing 20 capable of producing 20 individual hairs during a individual hairs during a person's lifetime. Blondes person's lifetime. Blondes average 146,000 follicles. average 146,000 follicles. People with black hair tend to People with black hair tend to have about 110,000 follicles, have about 110,000 follicles, while those with brown hair while those with brown hair are right on target with are right on target with 100,000 follicles. Redheads 100,000 follicles. Redheads have the least dense hair, have the least dense hair, averaging about 86,000 averaging about 86,000 follicles. follicles.

14: Nail Growth14: Nail Growth

If you're clipping your If you're clipping your fingernails more often than fingernails more often than your toenails, that's only your toenails, that's only natural. The nails that get natural. The nails that get the most exposure and are the most exposure and are used most frequently grow used most frequently grow the fastest. Fingernails the fastest. Fingernails grow fastest on the hand grow fastest on the hand that you write with and on that you write with and on the longest fingers. On the longest fingers. On average, nails grow about average, nails grow about one-tenth of an inch each one-tenth of an inch each month. month.

15: Head Weight15: Head Weight

No wonder babies No wonder babies have such a hard time have such a hard time holding up their holding up their heads: The human heads: The human head is one-quarter of head is one-quarter of our total length at our total length at birth but only one-birth but only one-eighth of our total eighth of our total length by the time we length by the time we reach adulthood.reach adulthood.

16: Need for Sleep16: Need for Sleep

If you say that you're If you say that you're dying to get a good dying to get a good night's sleep, you night's sleep, you could mean that could mean that literally. You can go literally. You can go without eating for without eating for weeks without weeks without succumbing, but succumbing, but eleven days is tops for eleven days is tops for going without sleep. going without sleep. After eleven days, After eleven days, you'll be asleep -- you'll be asleep -- forever!forever!