Of all the technology existing on the planet, the human body remains more complex and intricately engineered than any computer, software, mobile device, robot or tool that man-kind has been able to create.
We are a complex system of carefully connected networks and physical structures that are under the control of the world’s most sophisticated computer: your brain. A list of incredible facts about your body could span volumes, so we’ve picked just 10 that we think will blow your mind.
10. Your hair is practically indestructible
Aside from being burnt, human hair is a difficult substance to break down and is incredibly strong. One single hair can hold approximately 3.5 ounces of weight, translating to roughly 12 tons for a full head of adult hair. It has a decay rate that is so slow it’s practically non-disintegrative and is resistant to acid, cold and water damage. On average, a single hair exists for 2-7 years.
9. Your brain is faster than the world’s most powerful computer
Your brain is constantly running multiple processes, whether it’s thought, the constant processing of what your eyes see or the execution of hand-eye coordination. While robotics and technology have come a long way, computers don’t hold a candle to the power of your mind. Simulating just one second of human brain activity by researchers at the Okinawa Institute of Technology in Japan took a nest of 82,944 processors. While computers can store more information and allow us to access it quickly, the world’s fastest super computers have not yet been able to mimic the brain’s efficiency.
8. Your eye has a pixel clarity of 576 megapixels
Why is it pictures never look as a clear as what you see? It’s because the lens of your eye is an unmatched technology. Calculations comparing it to a camera lens give the eye an impressive number of megapixels. Of course, the process of how human vision comes to be is drastically different than anything the most high tech camera lens can achieve, so comparing the two is somewhat ridiculous. Eye muscles are the most active muscles in the body, as just the focusing muscle of your eye moves 100,000 times per day.
7. Human bone is as strong as steel
Bone is said to be as strong as granite or steel and one of the strongest materials found in nature. A cubic inch of bone can hold a weight load of more than 19,000 lbs., making it four times as strong as concrete. A piece of steel the same size would weigh five times that of bone and not be able to boast the same flexibility. The skeletal system makes up only 1/6 of an adult’ weight.
6. You’re older than you think
Age really is just a number, one that you might want to rethink considering your roots as an egg in your mother’s womb date all the way back to the time she was a fetus. Unlike men, who produce sperm throughout life, women are born with a set number of eggs. The female reproductive system develops at about 20 weeks into gestation, meaning the egg that created you was formed while your mother was in your grandmother’s womb.
5. Up to 50% of your liver can grow back
The liver is an incredibly powerful organ that is identified with more than 500 of the body’s vital functions. From the production of bile to clearing the blood of toxic substances, the liver is an important part of your body. But perhaps one of its most impressive capabilities is its ability to regenerate cells. A person can donate up to 50% of their liver for a transplant and rest assured that it will grow back.
4. Kidneys are a high-powered filter
Each of your kidneys contains approximately 1 million individual filters that process just over two pints of blood per minute and expel two and a half pints of urine each day. The essential function of the kidney is to keep the composition of blood stable and allow the body to function properly. The 1 million filtering units, called nephrons, use a two-step process to separate proteins, blood cells and needed minerals from the bloodstream while removing waste that eventually becomes urine.
3. One man can repopulate the Earth
An average man produces roughly 10 million new sperm cells each day. From a logistics perspective, it’s obviously impossible for a man to put each of them to successful reproductive use, but if we suppose for a moment that he could, that same man could produce enough new sperm in six months to repopulate the Earth. Since the life of a sperm cell is remarkably short, it must be replenished at a fast rate. According to a study by The Jackson Laboratory, healthy men can produce up to 1,500 sperm cells every second.
2. Stomach acid can dissolve just about anything
Swallowing a razor blade is a very dangerous idea, but it is still no match for the digestive acids in your stomach. In fact, the acidity of your stomach is similar to battery acid and is strong enough to burn through steel. The only reason it doesn’t eat through your stomach is because the stomach wall has a lining which contains epithelial cells that secrete a protective layer of mucus and bicarbonate.
1. Your blood vessels are larger than the Earth
The human body is said to have 60,000 miles of blood vessels carrying blood throughout the body from the time of childhood. To provide some perspective on how big that is, the circumference of the planet is 25,000 miles. Your body makes seven new miles of blood vessels when you gain a pound of fat. Think about that the next time you order a quarter pounder. Excess fat causes strain on your heart as it struggles to push blood through all of the new real estate.
