The human body is a remarkable and complex system that performs amazing feats every day. It is also full of surprises and secrets that most of us are unaware of.
Although we sometimes look at it and see how weak and fragile it is, we must also realize the amazing wonders we all have within ourselves.
In this article, we’ll explore seven amazing facts about your body that will make you appreciate it even more.
1. Your brain runs on the same amount of power as a 10-watt light bulb
The human brain uses about 200 kilocalories per day, which equates to about 10 watts of power. For comparison, that’s about 10 percent of the power needed to run a 100-watt light bulb.
So the cartoon image of a light bulb above your head when a great thought occurs isn’t far off. Your brain generates as much energy as a small light, even when you sleep.
2. Every 7 years your body completely replaces itself
25,000,000 of your cells died while you read this sentence. But it’s no problem, your body has made more than 300 billion new ones today. The cells that make up your body die and are constantly being replaced.
This happens so often that you have a completely new cell body about every seven years. While this is true for most cells, such as the cells lining the stomach, some of the most important cells in your body (those of your bones, your brain, and your heart) don’t regenerate much at all, so handle them with care.
3. Nerve impulses travel to and from the brain at speeds of up to 250 miles per hour
The speed of nerve impulses varies greatly, but the fastest reaches a speed of about 250 miles per hour. That’s as fast as a Formula 1 racing car! However, this demand for speed takes a lot of energy and is only found in neurons that urgently need to transmit information.
For example, if you burn your fingers, it is important that your brain gets the message to withdraw your hand very quickly.
4. There are more cells in your body than stars in the galaxy
Your entire body consists of approximately 75 trillion cells. Each of your cells is like a small city with thousands of different types of complex molecules that interact with each other to keep you alive and conscious.
If you compare this to the 400 billion stars in our Milky Way, you can understand how magical your existence really is. So the next time you feel down or insignificant, simply remember that you are made up of 75,000,000,000,000 cells, and that is far from “insignificant”!
5. There are 100,000 miles of blood vessels in an adult human body
If you were to take all the blood vessels of an average child and line them up, the line would be over 60,000 miles long. An adult’s ships would be almost 100,000 miles long! That means an adult’s blood vessels can circle the circumference of the world more than four times!
6. The cells in your body respond to your thoughts
The ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu once said, “Pay attention to your thoughts; they become words. Watch your language; they become actions.” Your mind is a powerful machine and controls every function of the body.
But the good news is that you have the power to control your mind. Experiencing positive thoughts leads to more positive thoughts and an even broader view of everything around us. For example, positive thoughts can strengthen your immune system, while negative thoughts can undermine it.
7. You are made of stardust
As Carl Sagan used to say, we are made of “star stuff.” It sounds like a line from a poem, but there is a concrete science behind this statement: almost every element on Earth was formed in the heart of a star.
The carbon, nitrogen and oxygen atoms in our bodies, as well as atoms of all other heavy elements, formed in previous generations of stars more than 4.5 billion years ago. So the next time you look at stars twinkling in the night sky, remember that we are all made of stardust, we are all one!
A few years ago, astrophysicist Dr. Neil DeGrasse Tyson asked by a TIME magazine reader, “What is the most amazing fact you can share with us about the universe?” Below you will find his answer.
