Do you think that the functions of every body part are controlled by signals from the brain and spinal cord? This is not true for the heart. The heart can beat on its own without signals from these two control centers, even when removed from the body.
Among us, perhaps no one claims to fully understand everything related to their body. Therefore, answering the following interesting questions can help you self-evaluate your knowledge about your body. Try to answer them before taking a “peek” at the answers.
1. If you were to connect all your blood vessels end to end, how long would they be? 80 or 60,000 miles?
The correct length is 60,000 miles, equivalent to 96,500 kilometers. Please remember that our body has trillions of cells, and each cell needs to be supplied with blood.
2. Can someone speak without making their vocal cords vibrate?
Yes, they can. In the case of whispering, we do not cause the vocal cords to vibrate. At that moment, the mouth, teeth, lips, and tongue create speech through the gentle breath escaping from the trachea.
3. How much saliva does our body produce each day? A small cup or 1 liter?
The correct answer is over 1 liter. In daily life, we need a lot of saliva. Without it, it would be very difficult to speak, chew, and digest food. Saliva initiates the digestive process by converting starch molecules into sugars. It also helps wounds in the mouth heal quickly. This explains why when the teeth bite the tongue, the cut on the tongue often heals quickly.
4. The tonsils are often removed from patients’ bodies; does this mean they have no role?
That is incorrect. The tonsils are a part of the lymphatic system. They help the body fight infections. Sometimes they need to be removed because they become infected and no longer serve their protective function.
5. Which part of the body has the highest storage capacity? Testes or ovaries?
At birth, each ovary contains hundreds of thousands of eggs, many of which degenerate before puberty. Throughout a woman’s life, typically only about 400 eggs will be released from a total reserve of around 10,000.
However, this number cannot compare to what the testes can produce. In each ejaculation, the number of sperm released from the testes can exceed 300 million. If on average, there are 8 sexual encounters in a month, the number of sperm entering a woman’s body can reach up to 2.4 billion.
6. Hair on our head or eyelashes has a longer lifespan?
Hair on the head has a longer lifespan. The average lifespan of a hair strand is 2-8 years, while eyelashes and eyebrows only “live” for a few months.
7. On our hands, which fingernail grows the fastest?
The middle finger’s nail grows the fastest. Generally, the longer the finger, the faster the nail grows (averaging 3.75 cm per year). Interestingly, if you bite your nails, they will grow 20% faster than if you cut them normally.
8. What is the natural purpose of fingerprints? For identification or to enhance grip?
Thousands of years ago, the Chinese knew how to use thumbprints on documents. Fingerprints are an excellent means of identification. However, this is a personal intention of humans. From a natural perspective, the tiny ridges on the palms and each finger increase the skin’s surface area, creating higher friction. Sweat from the glands in each ridge helps us grip objects more firmly.
9. Which country’s people have the least body odor?
North Koreans. Their skin has fewer scent glands than any other group of people in the world.
10. Under equal conditions, will a brown-eyed baseball player score more than a blue-eyed player?
Yes. Generally, people with brown or black eyes react faster than those with lighter-colored eyes. The pigments in brown or black eyes help transmit nerve impulses from the eyes to the brain more quickly.
11. Is it true that many people are born with three eyes?
In the conventional sense, this is false. However, in a broader scientific understanding, each person typically has a “third eye” located in the center of the brain called the pineal gland. It resembles an eye because it reacts to changes in light. But instead of transmitting images to the brain, it produces melatonin, a hormone that affects our mood.
