10 secrets about the human body that make scientists scratch their heads

Many body secrets still confuse scientists, but they provide us with even more reasons to appreciate our bodies.
10 secrets about the human body that make scientists scratch their heads

The brain produces enough electricity to light a small light bulb Our brain has about 100 billion cells called neurons. When we move, look, think, dream or laugh, electrical and chemical signals are racing between the billions of neurons on this neural highway. So even though one neuron generates a very small amount of electricity, all of them together can generate enough electricity to light a low-wattage light bulb. Illustration. The sense of smell can take you back in time When we smell something that has a connection with something significant in our past, the first thing we experience is the emotion we had at that moment, then memory often follows. Sometimes we won’t remember the event or situation, but the emotion will be there. This ability actually has a very simple evolutionary explanation. There’s a part of our brain that’s dedicated to detecting chemicals that will signal us if something is approaching, that’s what our sense of smell does. This was very important to our existence in the past. Illustration. We can lift a 60kg person but cannot lift a 60kg rock When we lift “live weight” it is easier because the person can adapt to gravity and distribute their weight in more directions. If this person chooses, they can also put their arms around you, which will make things easy. While lifting an object, such as a rock, the rock cannot choose the distribution of its gravity and weight. Gravity is in the default position and this makes lifting it a lot harder. Illustration. Women’s brains shrink during pregnancy A study confirms that “pregnancy brain” is more than just a phrase used to explain the emotional roller coaster a mother-to-be goes through. The brain actually shrinks during pregnancy, but this is not a negative thing. As it gets smaller, it becomes more effective and the woman prepares for becoming a mother. In fact, the loss of gray matter occurred in the part where it would enhance her understanding of other people’s beliefs, emotions, and nonverbal cues. These changes will boost her ability to bond with her infant and make her aware of threats so she can protect her baby and herself more quickly. To have super strength, the digestive system has to shut down Fatigue, pain, and fear are all things that prevent us from trying to use our strength in our daily lives. We’ve all heard stories about a man lifting a car to save his loved one. That superpower actually comes from adrenaline, but for it to work fully, it needs to shut down the digestive system and immune response. Then the combination of increased energy levels and increased oxygen levels strengthens our muscles beyond normal. Illustration. We can see with our ears Blind people can walk by using canes or clicking on echoes that tell them about their surroundings. But scientists have actually studied the brain of a blind man named Daniel Kish. He described his vision as “something like seeing the world in dim rays”. So when his brain is being studied, the part that controls his visual context actually lights up as he listens to the echoes that help him navigate by clicking. However, when he was listening to other sounds, the area was pretty quiet. This led the scientists to conclude that Daniel was indeed experiencing something like visions. Illustration. Headaches signal bad weather For some people, headaches are not just a signal that we are too tired or overworked, but also a prediction of the weather. In fact, research has confirmed that a number of headaches, ranging from mild to severe, are caused by weather changes. While for some people it can be a rapid increase in temperature or pressure and usually during a storm. During a storm, warm and cold air mix and create a change in air pressure (barometric pressure). In fact, this is how thunderstorms, rain and wind are created. This type of air pressure actually exerts force on a certain area, and in the case of headaches, this “zone” is you. Illustration. The brain has the capacity to store 2.5 petabytes of memory Our brain has about 1 billion neurons. Each cell makes 1,000 connections with other neurons, a trillion connections in total. This gives the brain about 2.5 petabytes – 1 million gigabytes of storage. If we compare it to the length of a digital video, it would be 3 million hours for TV shows, making the video run non-stop for over 300 years. Embryos can heal mother’s wounds There have been many studies involving pregnant women and their unborn babies. The results of these studies have given scientists a new light on the strength of the fetus. During pregnancy, the cells of the embryo move out through the placenta and reside in different parts of the woman’s body. This can affect the mother’s health. In fact, these cells remain inside the body for more than a decade even after the baby is born. They can help the mother heal from injuries during pregnancy. The human ear has the ability to “hear” molecules Illustration. You can take 2 glasses and pour hot water in one and cold water in the other, and when you do this, you can hear the difference. This is because the molecules in cold water have less energy, producing low-frequency tones while hot water has more energy and produces higher-pitched tones, and we can hear and distinguish well between the two.