Hidden quirks

The human body is full of surprises! Come check them out!

With its labyrinthine systems and intricate mechanisms, the human body is full of surprises, hidden quirks, and mysteries. Take blushing, for example, did you know that only humans are capable of such a thing? And what about earwax? We all know our body produces it to prevent bacteria from getting in, but did you know it is a type of sweat?

Until now, you may have thought you had a good handle on your body, but you probably have a few things to learn about it. Read on to find out fifteen weird facts about the human body and its endless wonders.

Have you ever wondered why you're a tad taller in the morning? That’s right, it’s not just your imagination playing tricks on you! Just as our weight is not the same throughout the day, neither is our height.

That is because, during the night, when we sleep horizontally, the soft cartilage between our bones gets a chance to decompress. The temporary relief from gravity leads to a slight increase in height by morning. But enjoy it while you can because it’s all downhill from here!

As the day progresses and we stand upright and carry out our daily activities, gravity compresses our spine back, causing our discs to flatten, and ultimately leading to a minimum loss of height.

Our noses are not only adept at sniffing out scents but also possess an astonishing memory. To put it simply: our noses are just like a built-in scent database in the middle of our faces.

How does that work? The nose is armed with up to 400 scent receptors, which means that we can identify millions of different odors, from recently baked chocolate cookies to the stinky odor of sweaty gym socks!

Now, this is mind-blowing: the average human nose can distinguish and remember up to 50,000 different smells. On a less friendly note, it still hasn’t quite mastered the ability to forget about the unfortunate smells of life!

Did you know that the core of your spinal discs is primarily composed of water? That’s right, the little discs between our vertebrae are like sponges. The water makes them plumpy and healthy. This means that, as long as our body is properly hydrated, our discs will be able to absorb shock and protect our spine like a pro.

As a natural consequence, when we don’t drink enough water or keep hydrated, these discs start to feel the squeeze. With no water to plump them up, they lose their main function and our spine bones are prone to rub against each other. And that’s when the back pain comes rushing.

If there weren’t enough reasons already, here is just another one to keep up with your water intake.

It’s a known fact that our left and right sides are not exactly the same. And this rule also applies to our internal organs. So it doesn’t come as a surprise that the left lung is approximately ten percent smaller than the right lung.

This has quite a simple and logical explanation to it: for starters, our heart is not perfectly placed in the center of our chest. Considering it is slightly tilted to the left, the left lung is smaller in order to give the heart some space, making it smaller than the right.

Moreover, because the liver sits high on the right side of our body, the right lung is wider but a tad shorter than the left.

Crying is the first thing a baby does. The minute they are welcomed into the world, they put their lungs to work. But have you ever noticed they don’t shed any tears? As you can imagine, this is not because they are holding back, it is because they physically can’t!

Tear ducts, the ones responsible for this, are still developing in newborns like many other body parts. It is not until they have reached full maturity that babies will be able to let the tears fall, regardless of how loud they can get.

This process can take up to a month, and in some cases, even longer. So, if you see a crying baby with dry eyes, don’t worry! They are just waiting for the tear ducts to catch up!

The most elaborate cobweb has absolutely nothing on our circulatory system! The intricate network of blood vessels within the human body is truly astounding. Here’s a fact: at the absolute maximum, a large human body can contain up to 60,000 miles.

In case you can’t quite picture that, think of this: that’s enough to wrap around the Earth’s equator more than two times over! All of that complexity is neatly packed right inside us.

Think of all those blood vessels weaving their way through our body, carrying oxygen and nutrients to every last corner of it. It leaves you thinking, right?

Believe it or not, growth is not just reserved for childhood. While overall growth ceases in adulthood, certain body parts continue to exhibit growth throughout life. The nose and ears, for instance, have a mind of their own when it comes to this and they tend to grow larger with age.

Now, here is the trick about this oddity: it is not actual growth, it is all work of the relentless force of gravity!

Our ears and noses are mostly made of cartilage, which is highly flexible. As we age, even though it may seem as if they never cease growing, it is just gravity causing that cartilage to sag and stretch out making them look bigger.

Since earwax is highly considered disgusting by society, it is no surprise we know close to nothing about it. Contrary to popular belief, earwax is not simply a collection of dirt and debris and it is definitely not wax, that’s for sure!

Earwax is, in fact, a type of sweat. Our ear canal has two types of glands, the ceruminous and the sebaceous glands. The former is a sweat gland and it is the one responsible for producing this waxy substance. Therefore, the name.

Now, earwax, embarrassing as it may be, serves to lubricate and protect the delicate skin lining the ear canal, preventing dryness and irritation. So, rather than removing it, embrace it!

Just like fingerprints, each person's tongue boasts a unique and distinct pattern. So, there are no two fingerprints that are the same, and neither are two tongues.

These tongue prints, formed by a combination of papillae and taste buds, contribute to individuality and our identity. And get this, tongue prints are often used in forensic investigations for identification purposes.

And that is not all! As it turns out, color and shape are also unique features of each individual making the tongue a key tool for identification. And let’s not forget the rainbow of flavors we can taste thanks to it!

You may be quite skeptical about this, but human teeth are remarkable and stronger than you think!

Human teeth are incredibly durable, and their strength is comparable to that of shark teeth. Scientific studies show that when comparing the micro-structure of both, our teeth are no weaker than that of sharks. And it all comes down to one single element: enamel.

This discovery is attributed to the dense enamel covering the tooth's surface, which serves as a protective barrier against wear and tear.

Mind you, equally strong doesn’t mean equally sharp! You might not be able to slice through prey, but you will most certainly win the battle over a crispy apple.

We are all very much aware that blood has a vital role in maintaining our body at top performance. It is in charge of physiological balance and transporting essential nutrients and oxygen to tissues throughout the body.

One can also easily imagine that we have a fair amount of it circulating inside our bodies. But what you probably didn’t know is that it constitutes approximately eight percent of the average adult's body weight.

The number is not set in stone, depending on factors like age and size, this percentage can naturally vary. For example, blood takes up to ten percent of a baby’s body weight.

You may not notice it, but you typically only breathe through one nostril at a time. You have nothing to fear, this is completely normal and it is due to a congestion pattern that switches every couple of hours. During this cycle, one nostril becomes congested making it a bit harder for air to flow through it while the other becomes decongested.

This alternating pattern of nasal airflow, known as the nasal cycle, ensures optimal filtration, humidification, and warming of inhaled air, promoting efficient respiratory function. Noses are not just a scent database, they are also our air conditioning system.

Now that you read about it, you may be blinking on purpose, aren’t you? However, most of the time, blinking is an involuntary reflex of the cornea, that is, we don’t even notice we do it. Now, this is the quirky fact about it: blinking occurs around 20 times per minute, which actually equates to over ten million blinks per year!

This reflex is not just a habit, it is essential to keep our eyes healthy. Blinking serves to moisturize and protect the ocular surface, preventing dryness and debris accumulation.

Moreover, blinking is a defense mechanism. When things get too close to the eye, this instinctive action protects our eyes from potential damage.

Contrary to popular belief, the brain never clocks out, not even when we go to bed. It is quite the opposite, our brain is often more active during sleep than when we are awake. And this is key to our overall health and well-being!

During REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, the stage usually associated with vivid dreams and high cognitive function, the brain becomes notably active. It initiates the neural activity that triggers key cognitive processes such as memory consolidation and emotional regulation.

Unlike us, our brain never goes to sleep and we should thank it for feeling refreshed and ready to tackle the day ahead.

When we feel embarrassed or ashamed, our mind is not the only one at play, our bodies are quick to catch up with some significant transformations. We sweat, we move around in discomfort and we blush!

Blushing is the result of the dilation of the blood vessels and a physiological response to certain feelings. Now, what you probably didn’t know is that, despite its involuntary nature, humans are the only species known to do this.

This uniquely human response is triggered by emotions such as embarrassment, shame, or excitement, highlighting the intricate interplay between the mind and body. Remarkable, isn’t it?

Tango, Bravo

Codewords decoded: How many did you know?

In situations where clear communication is paramount, especially when lives are at stake, professionals often rely on standardized codewords and phonetic alphabets designed to prevent confusion. Either from movies or from personal experience, it's probable that you've heard at least some of these before, and many have found their way into everyday conversation. Let's find out how many of these code expressions you can recognize.

Mayday is the international distress call used when the sender is in immediate, life-threatening danger. Pilots and mariners use it to signal that they require urgent assistance due to situations such as engine failure, fire, flooding, or medical emergencies.

The word was introduced in 1923 by British radio officer Frederick Stanley Mockford, who based it on the French phrase m'aider, meaning "help me," in an attempt to make it internationally recognizable. Hearing this transmission immediately alerts emergency responders that every second counts.

Not every emergency is severe enough to warrant a mayday call. When a crew faces a problem that is urgent but not immediately life-threatening, the appropriate codeword is Pan-Pan.

Like mayday, it comes from French: it derives from panne, meaning a breakdown or mechanical failure. A Pan-Pan call might be used if an aircraft loses an engine but can still fly safely, or if a ship experiences equipment problems while remaining under control. It tells responders that assistance is needed, but that the situation has not yet become critical.

Few emergency signals are as universally recognizable as SOS. Contrary to popular belief, the letters do not officially stand for "Save Our Ship" or "Save Our Souls." It was adopted in 1906 because SOS is an extremely simple, easy-to-transmit, and unmistakable pattern in Morse code.

SOS remains one of the world's most enduring distress signals, and it's still recognized by rescue organizations all around the globe.

In the NATO phonetic alphabet, each letter is assigned a unique word to eliminate confusion when radio transmissions are distorted by noise or poor reception. If you've ever heard someone spell a name as "Mike Alpha Romeo Yankee," you've encountered the NATO phonetic alphabet.

The system was officially adopted by NATO in the 1950s and is now widely used by militaries, airlines, emergency responders, and many police departments worldwide. Using it greatly reduces the chance of misunderstanding important information over radio.

Roger dates back to the early days of radio communication, when the letter R stood for "received." Before the adoption of the NATO alphabet, the US military used Roger instead of Romeo to represent that letter_._

Although modern communications systems have changed and the US military has fully embraced the use of the NATO alphabet, Roger remains standard aviation terminology, and it's one of the best-known radio acknowledgments in the world. It conveys a very simple but important meaning: "I have received and understood your message."

Although many people assume Roger and Wilco mean the same thing, they actually convey different messages. Wilco is short for "will comply." In other words, it tells the sender not only that the message was received and understood, but that the instruction will be carried out.

Saying both Roger and Wilco is technically redundant in proper radio communication, since complying necessarily implies understanding, but the combination is often heard in movies and television.

In the NATO phonetic alphabet, Tango simply represents the letter T. However, US military personnel have also adopted it as a shorthand when referring to a target or a hostile.

This secondary meaning became widely known through military operations in the twentieth century and has since appeared in countless books, films, and video games in phrases like "We've got one Tango moving north."

Oscar Mike, NATO for the letters O and M, is military shorthand for "On the Move." It's a quick way of reporting that a unit has begun moving toward its objective.

The expression is especially common in the US military and has become more familiar to the general public through documentaries, memoirs, and films. It's finding its way into civilian life, meaning simply "I'm heading out."

Ten-codes were developed during the 1930s to allow for brevity and standardization of message traffic in radio communications. They were widely adopted by US public safety departments and by radio enthusiasts.

While the system is being slowly phased out in favor of plain language communications, many local police, fire, and sheriff departments keep using it, and it is still strongly associated with radio culture by the general public. One of the most famous ten-codes is 10-4, meaning "received and understood."

Hospitals around the world use color-coded announcements to communicate emergencies without causing unnecessary panic among patients and visitors. Perhaps the best known is Code Blue, indicating that a patient is experiencing cardiac or respiratory arrest and requires immediate medical assistance.

While some hospitals use their own custom color codes, Code Blue has become so widely recognized that it now appears frequently in television dramas and everyday conversation whenever someone refers to a life-threatening medical emergency.