Interesting Facts

Scientists have grown a miniature "human brain". (The artificially grown brain is  the size of a pea, and incapable of growing any larger, or achieving any kind of "thought".   I think I have that brain!) Source

Testicles can detect sweet flavours. (According to researchers at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, testicles have taste buds. In a press release, researcher Robert Margolskee said, 'Like much good science, our current findings pose more questions than answers." That has to be the understatement of the year.)

According to an article published in the scientific journal, Cell Regeneration, scientists have grown teeth out of human urine. (Stem cells have the potential to be grown into any type of tissue and other researchers have managed to grow teeth from gum cells, etc. but this team from China have found that human urine could be used as a source of stem cells. It gives a whole new meaning to the term "potty mouth".)

According to a report in the journal Nature, our feet are home to more than 100 funghi. (Over the whole body there are around 200, all of which is completely harmless. They particularly love our feet, which provide a warm, dark and humid environment, especially under the toenails, between the toes, and around the heel. Now don't go freaking out and scrubbing at your feet mercilessly, most of the time funghi does not cause a problem unless it multiplies in particular areas.) If you're worried the NHS website has some useful advice. http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Athletes-foot/Pages/Introduction.aspx

According to researchers at the University of Surrey, lack of sleep can have a potentially profound effect on the internal workings of the human body. (Heart disease, diabetes, obesity and poor brain function have all been linked to substandard sleep, and areas such as the immune system and how the human body responds to damage and stress were affected. I think I'll go back to bed.) Source

“Rex” – the world’s most complete bionic man cost a million dollars to make. ( He consists of a prosthetic face, hips, knees, feet and hands, all of which are commercially available. Other off-the-shelf items include an artificial retina, cochlea and heart. The robotics team Shadow, who built Rex, believe they can now replicate about two-thirds of the human body. They said, “There are some vital organs missing, like the stomach, but 60 to 70 per cent of a human has effectively been rebuilt.” )

The vast majority of the human genome plays a vital function by regulating the genes that build and maintain the body. (This debunks the myth of "junk" DNA, a term coined 40 years ago to describe the part of the genome that does not contain any genes, but it is in fact an elaborate patchwork of regulatory sequences that act as a huge operating system for controlling the genome. So, be careful of calling stuff you don't fully understand "junk".) The research was carried out by hundreds of researchers from 32 institutes around the world and the findings published in a series of 30 research papers in Nature, Science and other scientific journals.

According to a report in the May 2011 issue of the Journal of Craniofacial Surgery, there are 14 different nose shapes. (Unfortunately 4 remain nameless, but the named ones are are:- The turned up nose The fleshy nose  The Greek nose The hawk nose The Roman nose The snub nose The bulbous nose The bumpy nose The aquiline nose The Nixon nose You can find pictures of them here. What kind of nose have you got?) More body vocabulary.

Britain has one of the lowest organ donor rates in Europe. (In the UK only 13 people out of every million end up donating organs, in spite of the fact that 90 per cent of the UK population support organ donation.  One of the reasons it's so low is only 29 per cent actually carry a donor card and in addition in the UK, even if someone carries a donor card, their family can stop organs being used. So, an opt out scheme is being discussed, whereby you would have to register not to become a donor.) Source

According to research published in Research in Nature Neuroscience, people with a busy social life appear to have more volume in a specific part of the brain called the amygdala. (The amygdala region of the brain is already linked to emotional and mental well being, and now it appears to be larger in people with complex social networks.  So it looks as if size does matter.) 

There are no pain receptors on the surface of the brain. (According to the Royal College of Nursing web site, some patients undergoing brain surgery have volunteered to have their exposed brain stimulated with electrodes during surgery. When not under general anesthesia, they can even report their sensations to the experimenter.  Volunteered!  I'm feeling queasy again.)

Scientists still don't know how our sense of smell actually works. (According to Nobel prize winners, Richard Axel and Linda B. Buck there are odorant molecules, but the means by which a detected molecule is translated into a smell within the brain  remains a mystery.  Theorists are even hypothesising that our sense of smell may have its basis in quantum physics.  My nose - the quantum physicist.)

Each red blood cell in your body lives for only 120 days on average! (Over time, the red blood cells get worn out and eventually die.  I know how they feel.)

Obesity affects one in 10 adults around the world. ( Anyone else remember the spaceship from WALL-E ?! Sorry I couldn't find a picture/video of that part, but basically we are ensconced in moving chairs and everything is done for us. We don't even have to get out to eat or talk to our friends!) Source - BBC

The human foot has 26 bones, 33 joints, 107 ligaments, 19 muscles and tendons. The 52 bones in your feet make up about 25 percent of all the bones in your body. ( And don't I know it! I've just had an operation on mine!) Source - Podiatry.com

According to research carried out at University College London, the human brain only matures fully when you are middle aged. (In the research scans showed that the prefrontal cortex – the area just behind the forehead – continues to change shape into the 30s and 40s.  The prefrontal cortex is a key area of the brain and is often thought said to be key to what makes us human.  It is said to be involved with decision making, social interaction and many other personality traits.  Which goes to prove my "teenagers are another species" theory.)

The human body creates 2.4 million red blood cells every second. (Good job we don't have to count them; or bank them!)

A typical human has enough body fat to keep going for about 40 marathons. (So if a full marathon eats up about 3,000 calories, that means most people have 120,000 calories worth of fat on them.)

According to scientists at Duke University in the US, athletes with a high navel have a higher centre of gravity and that can give them the edge on the running track. (The same researchers say that it slows you down if you're a swimmer. It all balances out in the end then.)

A study at the University of Bath has identified 6 kinds of noses: Roman / Greek / Nubian / hawk / snub and turned-up. (They scanned the noses in 3D and characterised them by tip, ridge profile and the nasion (area between the eyes). They have said that nose profiling could be useful for identification in covert surveillance. Follow that nose!)