We've all wondered things like why we get white spots on our nails, why our stomachs growl so loudly, or other oddities about our bodies. Scientists have been studying the human body for centuries, and they have found the answers to some of these questions.
In fact, researchers find out new things about the human body every day. Clearly, the wonders of our own anatomy and how our bodies work never cease. Let's explore some of the discoveries that shed light on the weirdest things our bodies do and why.
Why People Smell Different Over Time
Some people say that the elderly have a peculiar but not unpleasant smell. And these people are in fact correct, as any geriatrician will confirm. What they probably don't know, however, is that researchers have found all people exhibit changes in smell throughout their lifetimes.
As it turns out, there are different smells for different age groups. The more noticeable smells seem to be those of infants and elderly people, but people may be surprised to learn that there are also particular smells for young people and for middle-aged people.
Why Hot Food Often Tastes Better
Although many people enjoy a cold slice of pizza the morning after a party, it is widely acknowledged that certain meals and beverages taste better when hot. Some flavors are actually intensified when the food is hot because we have a group of taste buds sensitive to temperature.
As a result, coffee or hot chocolate is best at high temperatures. On the other hand, most people prefer their beer cold because its bitterness increases with temperature. Manufacturers often bring out certain flavors just by having the food warmed or cooled before it's served.
Why Some Farts Stink More Than Others
Regardless of farting being considered by some to be a taboo subject, though fart jokes have helped to normalize it, the fact remains that we all do it. Everybody also knows that some farts smell worse than others, which raises the interesting question of what differentiates them.
As with many things, it’s all about our diet. When we eat sulfur-rich foods like onions, eggs, and broccoli, the bacteria in our gut digest the sulfur compounds, resulting in smellier gas. To avoid unpleasant odors, therefore, we should be mindful of what we eat.
How We Get The Hiccups
Hiccups are the result of irregular contractions of the diaphragm, which is the main muscle controlling the rhythm of breathing. When the stomach is enlarged by consuming vast amounts of food and drink, the diaphragm can become irritated, interrupting its normal contractions and causing hiccups.
A disruption in the nerve pathway to the diaphragm might also give us the hiccups, which is why scaring someone sometimes helps by resetting the pathway. The usual recommendation is to hold our breath or breathe into a paper bag, forcing the diaphragm to relax.
Why We Sweat When We're Nervous
The nervous system is comprised of a voluntary and an involuntary system. The involuntary system is in charge of regulating the body’s reaction when it perceives any type of threat. When we get scared or nervous, our brains respond as if we were in danger.
The response can be either fight or flight, but both activate the sympathetic nervous system, causing the skin to sweat. Scientists believe that sweat helped our ancestors while hunting or fighting off an animal. Whether we’re battling anxiety or an animal, it's all the same to our brains.
Why Women Get Colder Than Men Do
No, women don't tend to be colder than men because they're cold-hearted. In fact, the opposite is actually closer to the truth: women have higher levels of body fat on their abdomen and thighs, allowing them to maintain their core temperature better than men do.
The tradeoff, however, is that women's hands and feet are more vulnerable to the cold. As a result, women feel cold more quickly than men do. At least they can compensate by wearing more layers of clothes and keeping their gloves handy during the winter.
Why We Wake Up Only To Pee
We often go to the bathroom in the middle of the night just to urinate and nothing more. For those of us who’ve ever wondered why that is, the answer has to do with how the bladder functions: it can only be stretched so far before it must be emptied.
On the other hand, the large intestine, also known as the colon, follows a regular schedule that depends on the time of day and sometimes on our nutrition that day. Therefore, our circadian rhythm more closely determines when we dispose of this kind of waste.
The Real Reason We Yawn
For quite a while, scientists couldn't seem to figure out why we yawn. At long last, however, they came up with a surprising answer. Although it is a sign that we're feeling sleepy, obviously, the purpose of yawning is actually to cool off the brain.
The force exerted by yawning causes blood to flow toward the neck while the mouth brings cooler air into the lungs, lowering the temperature of the blood. The cooler blood, in turn, lowers the temperature of the brain. Our bodies are like our own deluxe houses with built-in air conditioning.
Why Our Eyes Water When We Yawn
More often than not, our eyes tear up when we yawn. The reason for this is really quite simple: yawning causes the muscles in our faces to contract, including those that surround our eyes, which in turn causes our eyes to squeeze our lacrimal glands.
The pressure applied to our lacrimal glands then pushes tears out of them so that our eyes water. So whenever we anticipate yawning a lot while we're out somewhere, waterproof makeup would definitely be a good idea to avoid runny eyes after a big yawn.
Why We Stretch When We Wake Up
Stretching immediately after getting up in the morning is a natural response to hours of inactivity. Our brains may already be awake, but to function properly our muscles need the extra blood flow from our morning stretches in order to prepare for the day ahead.
Those of us who own pets often see them stretch and yawn as they wake up from their naps, showing that it's common among animals too. This muscle realignment ensures that everything is in place to start the day right for both humans and animals.
Why Our Stomach Growls Like A Lion
Many of us have had at least one incident when our stomach seemed to roar for everyone to hear. It’s more common when we’re hungry but can happen at any moment during the day or even at night. These sounds are the result of the movement of our digestive lining, known as peristalsis.
Besides during digestion, the sounds mostly occur after our brains send the signal to our gut that we need food. The muscles forming the walls of our digestive tracts then start to contract, making the familiar noises to remind us to get something to eat.
The Most Likely Reason Our Skin Wrinkles When Wet
For decades, scientists have been trying to determine why our fingers get wrinkled when we spend time in the bath, a pool, or the sea. All we know so far is how: our blood vessels contract so that our skin shrinks into a prune-like appearance.
The best theory that science has come up with is that these wrinkles give us a better grip on wet objects. If we’re not wearing shoes, our toe wrinkles might give us better traction to walk on wet surfaces, helping to prevent injuries from slipping.
The Many Potential Uses Of Fingerprints
Theories are abundant on why we're all born with fingerprints. Although we commonly use them for identification purposes, most of us are pretty sure this isn't the only reason we have them. According to some scientists, they allow water to run off our fingertips faster.
Others suggest that they might improve our sense of touch or protect our skin against blisters and the like. What we know for sure is that police academies teach all about them and that not even identical twins can say they have the same fingerprints.
Goosebumps Could Be A Relic Of Our Past
According to evolutionary theory, we used to be covered with a lot more body hair. Under those circumstances, it would make sense for our hair follicles to contract, causing our long hairs to stand up and create an extra layer of warmth in cold climates.
Over the course of evolution, this theory continues, we became less furry, so that those goosebumps are now just a remnant of our primate days that has no actual function. Evolutionary biologists speculate that there might come a day when we no longer have goosebumps.
What Causes That Roller Coaster Feeling
When we ride a roller coaster, we often feel like our stomachs fly into our throats during steep dives. Though it doesn’t actually get that high, there really is some movement of many internal organs because they’re not all tightly fixed to our abdominal cavities.
The ligaments that hold some of our organs, such as our stomachs and intestines, permit slight displacement. Don't worry, though: they won't get out of place so that we have to leave amusement parks in ambulances. Everything returns to its normal place after the ride's over.
How To Prevent Muscle Cramps
Muscle cramps are some of the most painful and unexpected things that our bodies can do. They tend to take place at night and might even wake us up in bed, usually because we had done some exercise or other intense physical activities during the day.
More often than not, dehydration is involved as well. If we exercise without drinking enough water, we run the risk of suffering one of these terrible cramps when we least expect it. Insufficient intake of calcium, potassium, and magnesium might also contribute to the problem.
The Mysterious Origin Of Side Stitches
We never feel more out of shape than when we get stitches in our sides while going out on jogs. However, it turns out that even experienced joggers get them, though less frequently. The cause is difficult to pinpoint, but there are a couple of theories.
Some people think that side stitches might result from insufficient hydration even with the best workout schedule. Others believe that they're due to friction inside the torso from the movement of internal organs while exercising. What we do know is that a break and a few deep breaths definitely help.
Why We Have A Peculiar Taste In Our Mouths Just Before Vomiting
That weird taste in our mouths might seem like a warning to run to the bathroom before we toss our cookies, but it’s actually the result of our bodies trying to avoid throwing up in the first place. What we're tasting is the accumulation of saliva.
Experts explain that the body is trying its hardest to start the digestion process so it can eliminate the stomach's contents, resulting in the overproduction of saliva. Whether it's caused by an illness or a night of too much alcohol, no one wants to feel this way.
How Knuckles Crack
The joints we can crack are those that have two bones in contact with each other through their cartilage. Synovial fluid bathes the joint, lubricating it to allow for movement, like the pistons in a car. This fluid contains certain gases that increase the mobility of the joint when released.
Cracking our knuckles releases those gases. Scientists believe this release is the cause of the noise we hear when we do that. The joint capsule also stretches while cracking, so the capsule stretching to its maximum capacity might be part of the sound as well.
The Benefits Of Blushing
The phenomenon of blushing has baffled science for decades. It’s something that only humans do, but it seems to serve no purpose except for making our embarrassment evident to everyone. According to some recent social studies, however, there might be some social benefits of blushing.
A study performed at a university in the Netherlands revealed that blushing might give some people the benefit of the doubt. Apparently, people are more willing to forgive someone who blushes after a transgression than someone who doesn’t because blushing is interpreted as a sign of true remorse.
The Mystery Of Dimples
Dimpled smiles are highly valued by most people, who believe them to be more attractive and to add something extra-special to a person's face. The reason why some people have dimples seems to be a difference in the anatomy of a facial muscle called zygomaticus major.
It's unclear whether dimples result from the muscle being smaller or a division of the muscle that’s not usually there. However, genetics are known to play an important role. People think dimples are so cute that they even unsuccessfully try to make them appear by indenting their skin.
Why Some People Have Freckles
tend to either love or hate freckles. But why do they appear in the first place? And why mostly on light-skinned people? The reason is that lighter skin tones have a lower number of melanocytes producing melanin, the pigment that determines the color of people's skin.
This pigment also protects us from the sun's radiation. When light-skinned people are exposed to the sun, their melanocytes activate and produce melanin. However, since they have fewer melanocytes, they get freckles instead of a uniform tan. Regardless of their pigmentation, though, everyone should take the proper skincare precautions.
Why Some People Have Bumps On Their Arms
A lot of people have raised bumps on their arms and other parts of their bodies. It may look like goosebumps, but the medical term for this common skin condition is actually keratosis pilaris. The bumps can appear at any age from adolescence to adulthood.
Although they don’t look great, these bumps are perfectly harmless. Sometimes dry skin or certain medications can play a role in their appearance, though there are definitely genetic factors involved. Unfortunately, there’s no cure, but certain lotions seem to help decrease the size of the bumps.
The Various Causes Of Stretch Marks
Sudden stretching of the skin can cause the appearance of stretch marks. These marks are actually scars resulting from the rupture of collagen fibers in the skin. We often see them in expectant mothers, since their abdomens stretch as their unborn children grow within them.
Stretch marks often appear during puberty as well, when the familiar growth spurts lead to the sudden stretching of the skin. Various companies have created a wide variety of stretch marks creams to manage the severity of these marks, though it's often impossible to get rid of them permanently.
Why White Spots Appear On Fingernails
Most of us are unaware that the white spots that sometimes appear on fingernails are known as leukonychia. Though the name sounds scary, it is only the medical term for these white spots on nails. The spots can be on one or all of them.
Despite the ominous-sounding name, this is actually a harmless condition. The most likely cause is receiving some sort of damage like a strike. Going to a nail spa and constantly wearing nail polish might make it more likely to occur, which is probably why it's seen more often in women.
Why Elderly People Have Eye Floats
Sometimes the elderly see pits or strings in their field of vision that seem to escape when they try to look directly at them. These so-called floaters are normally nothing to worry about. They’re just a sign of aging as some changes take place inside our eyes.
Our eyes are filled with a jelly-like substance called vitreous. As years go by, the consistency of the vitreous changes as parts of it form clumps that create shadows on our retinas. These shadows are what we see as floaters. There’s no anti-aging secret in this case.
A Twitchy Eye May Be A Signal To Chill Out
Sometimes, one of our eyelids starts twitching out of nowhere. This involuntary movement is called myokymia, and it usually passes on its own. There are multiple reasons why this occurs, most of which are nothing to worry about. Usually, fatigue or stress is to blame for the twitching.
When this happens, our bodies are most likely telling us to take a break. Therefore, a bit of rest might help in making it go away. However, if the twitching is accompanied by other facial spasms, it might be time to go ask a doctor about it just to be safe.
Hearing Pulses In Our Ears Might Not Be A Good Sign
Although we have mostly discussed harmless things so far, pulsatile tinnitus is a condition that can cause a pulsing sound in our ears. If the pulsing happens often or doesn’t go away, it might be time for us to think about getting a medical appointment.
However, more often than not it’s simply a change in blood pressure with no further consequences. When it involves something more serious, some of the reasons might be an irregularity in the shape of an artery or the presence of atherosclerosis in one of the carotid arteries.
Our Feet Might Get Bigger As We Age
We all go through the classic growth spurt in puberty in which our shoe size changes every year. For many people, finding the right size becomes an annoyance until their feet finally stop growing. However, when we reach our 70s, we might again need shoes one size larger.
This is because as we age, our tendons and ligaments tend to lose their tightness. As a consequence, the arches of our feet may flatten, causing our feet to get bigger without actually going through a process of growth. However, this doesn’t happen to everyone.
Jerking Before Falling Asleep Might Be Due To Our Primate Past
Hypnic jerk is the technical term for the sudden jerks or spasms some people's muscles have right before they fall asleep. Scientists have not found a specific reason why this occurs. However, there are a couple of theories going around, one of which is particularly interesting.
This theory claims that the reflex comes from when we were primates hanging in trees. The relaxation that takes over our muscles as we fall asleep therefore signals to our brains that we could be falling from a tree. To prevent a trip to the hospital, our brains then send the spasm signal.