Believe it or not, our bodies are one of the most efficient machines you could ever think of. Although we’re not made out of steel and wires, the human body can do a lot more than just a simple pulley or lever. Can a machine pick up a basketball and shoot hoops? Can it wear ballet shoes and dance on stage? Sure, in the distant future, we may see robots that can do all these stuff, but until then, you’ll never get something that can do what we humans effortlessly do.
Due to our complexity, our bodies have interesting, at times, weird stuff going on inside. You might not notice it, but every physiological event inside our bodies happens fast and happens often. If you’re interested in what our bodies do to make us alive, here are some weird yet interesting facts about it:
Our Lungs Are Massive
Our lungs are responsible for breathing and gas exchange. Without it, a human being can’t live. Inside our lungs are the bronchi. Here are some more interesting facts about your lungs: Bronchi(plural) or Bronchus is where gas exchange happens. Since we need a lot of oxygen to survive, a normal and healthy human lung has over 300 million bronchi.
If you were to spread out those 300 million bronchi in a single lung, it would cover a surface area of about 180 square meters. Double those 300 million bronchi for two lungs, and you get 360 square meters, which is enough to cover a whole tennis court twice over.
House Dust Is Actually Dead Skin
On average, a human being loses 30-40,000 dead skin cells per minute. If you ask where do these dead skin cells go after falling inside your house, well, they end up as dust. Although not everything in dust is made up of dead skin cells, it makes up a lot, about 80% of it. The next time you see that dust is forming on your tables, be a darling and wipe it off clean.
A Human Body Has Enough Iron to Make a Nail
One of the most vital minerals that our body needs is iron. Iron is an essential component in our red blood cells to transport oxygen throughout the body. A male has about 4 grams of iron, while females have around 3.5 grams. If you were to take all that iron, you could form a 3-inch nail with it!
The Strongest Muscle in Your Body Is
Most of the time, a lot of people think that the strongest muscle in the body is the tongue. Let’s get it straight; the tongue isn’t actually a single muscle as it’s composed of eight separate muscles.
The distinction of the strongest muscle in the human body actually goes to the masseter or the jawbone. The masseter can exert 55 pounds of force when using the front teeth or the incisors. When using the molars, however, the masseter can deliver a staggering 200 pounds of force.
The Hardest Substance in the Body Is
Again, most people think that the hardest substances in the body are the bones. Contrary to that belief, the hardest substance in the human body is actually dental enamel. Dental enamel is found in your teeth.
The most common mineral found in enamel is hydroxyapatite. Enamel has a score of five in the Mohs scale of mineral hardness, with ten being the hardest. In the table, emerald and steel have a rating of 7, while diamonds have a score of 10. The table goes to show how durable enamel is. As expected, human bone did not make it on the list.
Takeaway
Our bodies are indeed incredible machines that help us do everyday tasks without difficulty. It only fits that we take care of our bodies. The facts mentioned above are reminders as to how strange and interesting our human bodies are.
