[INFOGRAPHIC] 18 Amazing Facts about the Human Body That Will Shock You
The human body is an amazing machine. From head to toe, our bodies are capable of extraordinary things.
Starting with the brain, this is the organ that makes us human, giving people the capacity for art, language, moral judgments and rational thought. The brain is also responsible for each individual’s personality, memories, movements and how we sense the world.
Weighing at about 3 pounds, the brain is one of the body’s biggest organs, consisting of over 100 billion nerve cells that not only put together thoughts and coordinated physical actions but also regulate our unconscious body processes, such as digestion and breathing.
Moving down, the heart is the body’s engine room. Responsible for pumping life-sustaining blood, the heart works ceaselessly, beating 100,000 times a day, 40 million times a year.
The fetal heart evolves through several different stages inside the womb, first resembling a fish’s heart, then a frog’s (which has two chambers), then a snake’s (with three), before finally adopting the four-chambered structure of the human heart we know.
Body organs aren’t all internal like our brain or heart, however. In fact, the largest organ of the human body is the one we wear: skin. Acting as a waterproof, insulating shield, skin guards the body against extremes of temperature, damaging sunlight and harmful chemicals. Skin is additionally covered with sensitive nerves that keep the brain in touch with the outside world.
Read the infographic below for an additional 18 facts about the human body that are simply, well, amazing.
