Cool and strange facts about the human body a lot of people don’t know

No one really knows why we have fingerprints, We take in half a litre of air with each breath, The gluteus maximus is the largest muscle in your body, The sartorius is the longest muscle in your body, Your heart will beat over three billion times during your lifetime, You see the colour green better than any other shade, Up to half your grip strength comes from your pinky, Your brain is more than half fat, 80% of everything you learn comes through your eyes, You’re born without kneecaps, You’re born with almost 100 more bones than when you grow up, Your nose can detect a trillion different scents, You can only last 11 days without sleep, Some people have more taste buds than others, Your liver is the only organ that can fully regenerate itself, Your tongue print is unique, Earwax cleans your ears

We spend our entire lives in our bodies, and yet there’s so much we don’t know about them. Here are 20 cool and curious facts about the human body that most people aren’t aware of.

No one really knows why we have fingerprints

No one really knows why we have fingerprints, We take in half a litre of air with each breath, The gluteus maximus is the largest muscle in your body, The sartorius is the longest muscle in your body, Your heart will beat over three billion times during your lifetime, You see the colour green better than any other shade, Up to half your grip strength comes from your pinky, Your brain is more than half fat, 80% of everything you learn comes through your eyes, You’re born without kneecaps, You’re born with almost 100 more bones than when you grow up, Your nose can detect a trillion different scents, You can only last 11 days without sleep, Some people have more taste buds than others, Your liver is the only organ that can fully regenerate itself, Your tongue print is unique, Earwax cleans your ears

Fingerprints may be helpful for catching criminals, but is that really what they were designed for? In truth, nobody really knows. Scientists once believed it was to help us grip objects, but, in fact, “fingerprints actually reduce friction and our ability to grasp smooth objects.” Some now believe that our fingerprints “may help us to grasp rough or wet surfaces, protect our fingers from damage, and increase touch sensitivity.”

We take in half a litre of air with each breath

No one really knows why we have fingerprints, We take in half a litre of air with each breath, The gluteus maximus is the largest muscle in your body, The sartorius is the longest muscle in your body, Your heart will beat over three billion times during your lifetime, You see the colour green better than any other shade, Up to half your grip strength comes from your pinky, Your brain is more than half fat, 80% of everything you learn comes through your eyes, You’re born without kneecaps, You’re born with almost 100 more bones than when you grow up, Your nose can detect a trillion different scents, You can only last 11 days without sleep, Some people have more taste buds than others, Your liver is the only organ that can fully regenerate itself, Your tongue print is unique, Earwax cleans your ears

With every normal breath we take, our lungs take in roughly 500 ml (18 oz.) of air. Added up over the course of a day, the average person breathes in enough air to fill a “normal-sized swimming pool.”

The gluteus maximus is the largest muscle in your body

No one really knows why we have fingerprints, We take in half a litre of air with each breath, The gluteus maximus is the largest muscle in your body, The sartorius is the longest muscle in your body, Your heart will beat over three billion times during your lifetime, You see the colour green better than any other shade, Up to half your grip strength comes from your pinky, Your brain is more than half fat, 80% of everything you learn comes through your eyes, You’re born without kneecaps, You’re born with almost 100 more bones than when you grow up, Your nose can detect a trillion different scents, You can only last 11 days without sleep, Some people have more taste buds than others, Your liver is the only organ that can fully regenerate itself, Your tongue print is unique, Earwax cleans your ears

Yes, it’s true—your behind (aka gluteus maximus) is the largest muscle in your body. Though many of us spend our days sitting on it, this big, strong muscle helps us maintain good posture, walk, run, and climb up stairs and hills. So don’t neglect your backside!

The sartorius is the longest muscle in your body

No one really knows why we have fingerprints, We take in half a litre of air with each breath, The gluteus maximus is the largest muscle in your body, The sartorius is the longest muscle in your body, Your heart will beat over three billion times during your lifetime, You see the colour green better than any other shade, Up to half your grip strength comes from your pinky, Your brain is more than half fat, 80% of everything you learn comes through your eyes, You’re born without kneecaps, You’re born with almost 100 more bones than when you grow up, Your nose can detect a trillion different scents, You can only last 11 days without sleep, Some people have more taste buds than others, Your liver is the only organ that can fully regenerate itself, Your tongue print is unique, Earwax cleans your ears

The sartorius muscle (whose name is derived from the Latin word for tailor, believed to reference the “cross-legged position in which tailors once sat”) is the longest muscle in the human body. This long, thin muscle runs down the length of the thigh, crossing two joints—the hip and the knee—and measures some 50 cm (20 in.). The sartorius has multiple functions, including helping stabilize the pelvis.

Your heart will beat over three billion times during your lifetime

No one really knows why we have fingerprints, We take in half a litre of air with each breath, The gluteus maximus is the largest muscle in your body, The sartorius is the longest muscle in your body, Your heart will beat over three billion times during your lifetime, You see the colour green better than any other shade, Up to half your grip strength comes from your pinky, Your brain is more than half fat, 80% of everything you learn comes through your eyes, You’re born without kneecaps, You’re born with almost 100 more bones than when you grow up, Your nose can detect a trillion different scents, You can only last 11 days without sleep, Some people have more taste buds than others, Your liver is the only organ that can fully regenerate itself, Your tongue print is unique, Earwax cleans your ears

Your heart is the “hardest-working muscle” in your body. It beats roughly 100,000 times per day, which, depending on your lifespan, can add up to over three billion heartbeats.

You see the colour green better than any other shade

No one really knows why we have fingerprints, We take in half a litre of air with each breath, The gluteus maximus is the largest muscle in your body, The sartorius is the longest muscle in your body, Your heart will beat over three billion times during your lifetime, You see the colour green better than any other shade, Up to half your grip strength comes from your pinky, Your brain is more than half fat, 80% of everything you learn comes through your eyes, You’re born without kneecaps, You’re born with almost 100 more bones than when you grow up, Your nose can detect a trillion different scents, You can only last 11 days without sleep, Some people have more taste buds than others, Your liver is the only organ that can fully regenerate itself, Your tongue print is unique, Earwax cleans your ears

While the human eye can register approximately 100 different colour shades (and distinguish about a million), it sees green the best. Why? Because humans perceive the three primary colours—blue, green, and red—on a spectrum, and green lies in middle, “where our perception is at its best.”

Up to half your grip strength comes from your pinky

No one really knows why we have fingerprints, We take in half a litre of air with each breath, The gluteus maximus is the largest muscle in your body, The sartorius is the longest muscle in your body, Your heart will beat over three billion times during your lifetime, You see the colour green better than any other shade, Up to half your grip strength comes from your pinky, Your brain is more than half fat, 80% of everything you learn comes through your eyes, You’re born without kneecaps, You’re born with almost 100 more bones than when you grow up, Your nose can detect a trillion different scents, You can only last 11 days without sleep, Some people have more taste buds than others, Your liver is the only organ that can fully regenerate itself, Your tongue print is unique, Earwax cleans your ears

Many of us raise our pinky finger while sipping tea, creating a bad habit of not engaging this small yet strong body part. Studies have shown that the lowly pinky accounts for up to half the strength in our hands.

This may seem trivial, but as we age, grip strength becomes a biomarker of health, for everything from overall strength and upper limb function to quality of life.

Your brain is more than half fat

No one really knows why we have fingerprints, We take in half a litre of air with each breath, The gluteus maximus is the largest muscle in your body, The sartorius is the longest muscle in your body, Your heart will beat over three billion times during your lifetime, You see the colour green better than any other shade, Up to half your grip strength comes from your pinky, Your brain is more than half fat, 80% of everything you learn comes through your eyes, You’re born without kneecaps, You’re born with almost 100 more bones than when you grow up, Your nose can detect a trillion different scents, You can only last 11 days without sleep, Some people have more taste buds than others, Your liver is the only organ that can fully regenerate itself, Your tongue print is unique, Earwax cleans your ears

Fat is often demonized by the weight-loss industry, but it’s actually essential to your health, especially your brain. The human brain is made of roughly 60% fat, making it the “fattiest organ” in the body. What’s more, fatty acids are vital to brain function. So be sure to load up on plenty of healthy fats, such as oily fish, nuts, seeds, and avocados.

Your blood “travels” the distance of the United States four times every day

No one really knows why we have fingerprints, We take in half a litre of air with each breath, The gluteus maximus is the largest muscle in your body, The sartorius is the longest muscle in your body, Your heart will beat over three billion times during your lifetime, You see the colour green better than any other shade, Up to half your grip strength comes from your pinky, Your brain is more than half fat, 80% of everything you learn comes through your eyes, You’re born without kneecaps, You’re born with almost 100 more bones than when you grow up, Your nose can detect a trillion different scents, You can only last 11 days without sleep, Some people have more taste buds than others, Your liver is the only organ that can fully regenerate itself, Your tongue print is unique, Earwax cleans your ears

Your blood gets around! In a single day, your blood travels 19,000 km (12,000 miles)—four times the distance from the east coast to the west coast of the United States.

Your foot is the same length as the distance from your wrist to your elbow

No one really knows why we have fingerprints, We take in half a litre of air with each breath, The gluteus maximus is the largest muscle in your body, The sartorius is the longest muscle in your body, Your heart will beat over three billion times during your lifetime, You see the colour green better than any other shade, Up to half your grip strength comes from your pinky, Your brain is more than half fat, 80% of everything you learn comes through your eyes, You’re born without kneecaps, You’re born with almost 100 more bones than when you grow up, Your nose can detect a trillion different scents, You can only last 11 days without sleep, Some people have more taste buds than others, Your liver is the only organ that can fully regenerate itself, Your tongue print is unique, Earwax cleans your ears

Indeed, the length from your elbow to your wrist is the same as the length of your foot. Measure it and see!

80% of everything you learn comes through your eyes

No one really knows why we have fingerprints, We take in half a litre of air with each breath, The gluteus maximus is the largest muscle in your body, The sartorius is the longest muscle in your body, Your heart will beat over three billion times during your lifetime, You see the colour green better than any other shade, Up to half your grip strength comes from your pinky, Your brain is more than half fat, 80% of everything you learn comes through your eyes, You’re born without kneecaps, You’re born with almost 100 more bones than when you grow up, Your nose can detect a trillion different scents, You can only last 11 days without sleep, Some people have more taste buds than others, Your liver is the only organ that can fully regenerate itself, Your tongue print is unique, Earwax cleans your ears

We rely on our eyes for more than just getting around. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, “80% of all learning during a child’s first 12 years comes through the eyes.” A good reason to get your children’s eyes checked!

You’re born without kneecaps

No one really knows why we have fingerprints, We take in half a litre of air with each breath, The gluteus maximus is the largest muscle in your body, The sartorius is the longest muscle in your body, Your heart will beat over three billion times during your lifetime, You see the colour green better than any other shade, Up to half your grip strength comes from your pinky, Your brain is more than half fat, 80% of everything you learn comes through your eyes, You’re born without kneecaps, You’re born with almost 100 more bones than when you grow up, Your nose can detect a trillion different scents, You can only last 11 days without sleep, Some people have more taste buds than others, Your liver is the only organ that can fully regenerate itself, Your tongue print is unique, Earwax cleans your ears

The patella (aka kneecap) is a unique bone that serves to protect the knee joint and enables the tendon to extend the leg. However, when you’re born, your kneecap isn’t bone—at least not yet. It begins its life as cartilage, a soft tissue, which ossifies into a hard bone by the age of three.

Every day, you produce enough saliva to fill two cans of soda pop

No one really knows why we have fingerprints, We take in half a litre of air with each breath, The gluteus maximus is the largest muscle in your body, The sartorius is the longest muscle in your body, Your heart will beat over three billion times during your lifetime, You see the colour green better than any other shade, Up to half your grip strength comes from your pinky, Your brain is more than half fat, 80% of everything you learn comes through your eyes, You’re born without kneecaps, You’re born with almost 100 more bones than when you grow up, Your nose can detect a trillion different scents, You can only last 11 days without sleep, Some people have more taste buds than others, Your liver is the only organ that can fully regenerate itself, Your tongue print is unique, Earwax cleans your ears

Drooling may be gross (unless it’s done by a baby!), but saliva is nothing to be afraid of. In fact, it’s an “essential component of the digestive process,” helping you swallow your food and prepping it for your stomach.

Saliva is 98% water, but it also contains electrolytes, enzymes, antibacterial compounds, and good bacteria. So don’t be too grossed out to learn that you produce enough saliva to fill two cans of soda pop each and every day.

You’re born with almost 100 more bones than when you grow up

No one really knows why we have fingerprints, We take in half a litre of air with each breath, The gluteus maximus is the largest muscle in your body, The sartorius is the longest muscle in your body, Your heart will beat over three billion times during your lifetime, You see the colour green better than any other shade, Up to half your grip strength comes from your pinky, Your brain is more than half fat, 80% of everything you learn comes through your eyes, You’re born without kneecaps, You’re born with almost 100 more bones than when you grow up, Your nose can detect a trillion different scents, You can only last 11 days without sleep, Some people have more taste buds than others, Your liver is the only organ that can fully regenerate itself, Your tongue print is unique, Earwax cleans your ears

When you’re born, you have about 300 bones in your body. However, as you grow up, some of these bones fuse together, leaving you with just 206 by the time you’re an adult.

Your nose can detect a trillion different scents

No one really knows why we have fingerprints, We take in half a litre of air with each breath, The gluteus maximus is the largest muscle in your body, The sartorius is the longest muscle in your body, Your heart will beat over three billion times during your lifetime, You see the colour green better than any other shade, Up to half your grip strength comes from your pinky, Your brain is more than half fat, 80% of everything you learn comes through your eyes, You’re born without kneecaps, You’re born with almost 100 more bones than when you grow up, Your nose can detect a trillion different scents, You can only last 11 days without sleep, Some people have more taste buds than others, Your liver is the only organ that can fully regenerate itself, Your tongue print is unique, Earwax cleans your ears

It was once believed that your nose could only detect some 10,000 different smells. However, scientists have since discovered that the human nose can, in fact, distinguish more than 1 trillion scents.

You can only last 11 days without sleep

No one really knows why we have fingerprints, We take in half a litre of air with each breath, The gluteus maximus is the largest muscle in your body, The sartorius is the longest muscle in your body, Your heart will beat over three billion times during your lifetime, You see the colour green better than any other shade, Up to half your grip strength comes from your pinky, Your brain is more than half fat, 80% of everything you learn comes through your eyes, You’re born without kneecaps, You’re born with almost 100 more bones than when you grow up, Your nose can detect a trillion different scents, You can only last 11 days without sleep, Some people have more taste buds than others, Your liver is the only organ that can fully regenerate itself, Your tongue print is unique, Earwax cleans your ears

Like food and water, sleep is essential to the human body. Go too long without it, and you might start to hallucinate. The world record for going without sleep is 264 hours (a little over 11 days). Scientists don’t know quite how long we can survive without sleep, but you don’t want to try to find out!

Some people have more taste buds than others

No one really knows why we have fingerprints, We take in half a litre of air with each breath, The gluteus maximus is the largest muscle in your body, The sartorius is the longest muscle in your body, Your heart will beat over three billion times during your lifetime, You see the colour green better than any other shade, Up to half your grip strength comes from your pinky, Your brain is more than half fat, 80% of everything you learn comes through your eyes, You’re born without kneecaps, You’re born with almost 100 more bones than when you grow up, Your nose can detect a trillion different scents, You can only last 11 days without sleep, Some people have more taste buds than others, Your liver is the only organ that can fully regenerate itself, Your tongue print is unique, Earwax cleans your ears

How’s your palate? Are you good at perceiving subtle flavours? Maybe you have more taste buds than others!

It turns out that the number of taste buds you have can vary widely. Some people have 10,000, while others may only have 2,000. As you age, this number decreases, reducing your ability to perceive taste.

Your liver is the only organ that can fully regenerate itself

No one really knows why we have fingerprints, We take in half a litre of air with each breath, The gluteus maximus is the largest muscle in your body, The sartorius is the longest muscle in your body, Your heart will beat over three billion times during your lifetime, You see the colour green better than any other shade, Up to half your grip strength comes from your pinky, Your brain is more than half fat, 80% of everything you learn comes through your eyes, You’re born without kneecaps, You’re born with almost 100 more bones than when you grow up, Your nose can detect a trillion different scents, You can only last 11 days without sleep, Some people have more taste buds than others, Your liver is the only organ that can fully regenerate itself, Your tongue print is unique, Earwax cleans your ears

Some creatures, like lizards, can regrow their limbs. Humans cannot. But we can regenerate our liver. While other organs, like the heart, can only repair damaged tissue with scar tissue, the liver can “replace damaged tissue with new cells” and completely regenerate within a month, depending on the circumstances.

Your tongue print is unique

No one really knows why we have fingerprints, We take in half a litre of air with each breath, The gluteus maximus is the largest muscle in your body, The sartorius is the longest muscle in your body, Your heart will beat over three billion times during your lifetime, You see the colour green better than any other shade, Up to half your grip strength comes from your pinky, Your brain is more than half fat, 80% of everything you learn comes through your eyes, You’re born without kneecaps, You’re born with almost 100 more bones than when you grow up, Your nose can detect a trillion different scents, You can only last 11 days without sleep, Some people have more taste buds than others, Your liver is the only organ that can fully regenerate itself, Your tongue print is unique, Earwax cleans your ears

Like fingerprints, tongue prints are unique. No two are alike, making them a great contender for a “new biometric authentication tool.”

However, in the era of COVID-19, it might not be such a good idea to go around licking things!

Earwax cleans your ears

No one really knows why we have fingerprints, We take in half a litre of air with each breath, The gluteus maximus is the largest muscle in your body, The sartorius is the longest muscle in your body, Your heart will beat over three billion times during your lifetime, You see the colour green better than any other shade, Up to half your grip strength comes from your pinky, Your brain is more than half fat, 80% of everything you learn comes through your eyes, You’re born without kneecaps, You’re born with almost 100 more bones than when you grow up, Your nose can detect a trillion different scents, You can only last 11 days without sleep, Some people have more taste buds than others, Your liver is the only organ that can fully regenerate itself, Your tongue print is unique, Earwax cleans your ears

Some people go to great lengths to remove the wax from their ears in an effort to clean them. Big mistake! Earwax has a job to do—and that’s to clean your ears. It also provides lubrication and fights bacteria. Go, earwax!

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