1 month ago
24
Warning: This post contains graphic descriptions that some readers may find disturbing.
The human body is an awe-inspiring thing. However, it can also be weird, gross, and sometimes downright disgusting. But even so, there are certain body facts you can't help but want to know...
That's why, when Redditor u/Mr-Bones-6150 asked the fine folks of r/biology to share their weirdest and most disturbing body facts, they did NOT disappoint. From the brain fighting itself to hair mites — here are 19 of their most shocking responses:
Some responses were also sourced from this thread.
1. "The corpus callosum is the bridge that connects the two halves of the brain — it used to be cut as part of various seizure-related medical treatments. Despite the two parts of the brain no longer being able to communicate directly, people can still act mostly the same when it is cut."
2. "Some ligaments attach directly from the belly button to the bladder, from when it was the umbilical cord. Occasionally, in some people, these fail to close completely, meaning they could either leak pee or blood out of their belly button."
3. "Eyes have immune privilege, meaning they are separated from and not recognized by the body's immune system. If the immune system discovers the eyes due to trauma, it will see the eyes as foreign and start to attack them."
4. "Most people have certain organs on certain sides (heart slightly to your left, liver on your right, etc.), but sometimes people have reversed body plans, and they wouldn't know at all unless they undergo surgery or medical imaging."
5. "The tongue, when removed at autopsy, can come out all in one piece (en bloc), including the pharyngeal structures (organs of the throat)."
7. "Getting crushed is problematic, not just because it injures a certain part of the body, but because a crushed body part that remains crushed releases toxins that stay stuck inside the crushed body part until pressure is released. These toxins can kill the person within minutes after pressure is released. This is why a person can be lying under a tire and seem relatively okay, but already be declared to have no chance of survival by doctors, because once they are freed from under the tire, they die from the toxins."
8. "The fallopian tubes are not directly connected to the ovaries, which means every month, when a woman ovulates, finger-like tendrils have to 'catch' the egg. It's a very bizarre design for something so important!"
9. "Pregnancy can permanently shrink or prune some of the grey matter of the mother’s brain. Theory of mind is largely affected; it is the understanding that other people have their own thoughts, feelings, etc. It begins during pregnancy but never returns to baseline thereafter. But on the bright side, this is doesn't mean the brain is damaged; it's actually the opposite, since it's optimizing itself in response to pregnancy."
10. "When the intestines are repacked into the body during surgery, they don't have to put them in the exact right spot with extreme precision. Why? Because once you're stitched back up, the intestines can move back to the correct position independently."
12. "Almost everyone has tiny bugs living in our eyebrows known as Demodex mites. (Sometimes they are referred to as eyebrow or eyelash mites.) The fact is that these mites can live on any area of the human body that has hair, even the top of your head."
13. "Humans have a secondary nervous system in their gut! It's called the Enteric Nervous System; it acts as a 'second brain' that regulates the digestive system (MASSIVE simplification there). But only recently did we really study and learn how the ENS contributes to our emotions and mental health."
15. "The body can consume its own tissue in times of extreme starvation. When deprived of nutrients, the body breaks down its own muscles, including the heart, to survive. This self-cannibalizing process is a grim testament to the body’s will to sustain itself, even at great cost."
16. "Skin color actually isn't only skin deep: Believe it or not, pigment cells are surrounding your brain, too. They're scattered throughout the arachnoid mater, one of the membranes that protect and cushion the brain (the meninges). It's not a strict correlation, but past research has shown that people with darker complexions tend to have more brain melanocytes, particularly on the surface of the brainstem. Some people, even those with lighter skin, can have extra melanocytes, giving them darker patches even on the surface of their brain hemispheres."
17. "The enzymes that break down food in your stomach are so powerful that, theoretically, they could digest your stomach itself. A mucosal lining protects the stomach, but if this lining is compromised, it can lead to ulcers, which is when the stomach starts to digest its own tissue."
18. "You can essentially suffocate not just in water, but also with anything that can pass through your bloodstream, such as carbon monoxide. If you inhale these molecules, they have the power to block the oxygen from being delivered around your system."
"Sulfur hexafluoride is a gas you can inhale to deepen your voice (the reverse of helium); however, it is heavy and lingers in your lungs, making it more dangerous than helium to play with because helium is light and naturally drifts out of your lungs again."
19. And finally: "Some hot dogs are just meat stuffed inside an intestine, which means when you consume a hot dog, you actually become the hot dog."
Did any of these facts shock you? What are some of the weirdest, most disturbing, or downright unsettling human body facts you know? Feel free to tell us in the comments or answer anonymously using the form below!
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
English (US) 