The human body is a fascinating thing. From our heads to our toes, we’re filled with complex cell structures, unique organs, and specialized systems working tirelessly throughout the day to let us breathe, move, digest, and more.

And the crazy part is that even after so much research into what makes us tick, scientists are still discovering new things about the human body each and every day!

Here are some of our favorite fascinating facts about ourselves.

1) Human Hair Is More Or Less Indestructible

Those individual strands of hair on your head might seem pretty small and insignificant, but they’re actually one of the strongest substances known to man! The only thing that can really destroy hair is fire. It’s resistant to many chemicals and even dangerous acids.

2) We Spend 10% Of Our Awake Time With Our Eyes Closed

As strange as it might seem, studies have shown that we spend around 10% of all the time that we’re awake with our eyes closed! This time is mostly made up of blinks. Even though a single blank lasts less than a second, we all blink around 15-20 times per minute, and those little moments all add up.

3) Our Height Changes Throughout The Day

It only changes by small amounts, so you won’t really notice it, but your height actually changes throughout the day. We’re tallest in the mornings when we wake up and shortest in the evenings when we go to sleep. It’s due to a jelly-like substance in our spine that gets compressed and moves around throughout the day.

4) We Get Shorter Every Year After 30

Once you hit 30, it’s time to wave goodbye to your height. For every 10 years after this age, we lose half an inch in height, on average. This is because the discs between the vertebrae in our spines start to slowly flatten. It’s a really gradual process, so it’s impossible to spot it happening, but if you measure yourself every year, you’ll slowly start to notice the change.

5) Your Brain Could Power A Light Bulb

If you could harness all the electrical signals and impulses being sent out by the brain and send them out in the form of a wire or battery, it would be strong enough to power a low-watt light bulb.

6) By The Age Of 60, You’ll Have Lost Half Of Your Tastebuds

It’s a sad fact, but pretty much everything in your body starts to get worse and degrade as you get older. This includes your tastebuds. We start off life with around 10,000 of them, but have around half this amount by the age of 60. This means that we don’t taste things the same way as we get older and can even end up disliking foods we used to love.

7) We Glow In The Dark

Ever seen those jellyfish that glow in the dark? Well, you can do the same thing! Humans are technically bioluminescent, meaning that we give off light in dark conditions. Unfortunately, our eyes aren’t strong enough to detect it.

8) The Stomach In Your Acid Could Destroy Most Of You

We should all be thankful for our stomachs. They allow us to eat and digest food, and they also keep the dangerous stomach acid under wraps. If you actually dipped your finger in that acid, it could easily burn right through your skin.

9) The Number Of Bacteria In Your Mouth Is Probably Higher Than The Global Population Of Humans

There are over 7 billion people on Earth, but there may be more than 7 billion bacteria in your mouth right now! They thrive in the warm, humid conditions of the human mouth, but don’t worry, most of them are totally harmless to your health.

10) Our Blood Vessels Are Long Enough To Circle The Whole Planet Twice

It’s simply extraordinary to think of, but if you took out all of your blood vessels and laid them out in a big line, it would be long enough to wrap around the world at least twice, if not three or four times! We have up to 100,000 miles of blood vessels in our bodies and the distance around the Earth is about 25,000 miles.

11) Kissing Can Keep Cavities At Bay

When we kiss, our mouths start to generate saliva. Saliva works to wash plaque away from our teeth, effectively cleaning them while we kiss! This reduces the risk of cavities, so start kissing more often if you want better oral health.

12) Tears Are Different Depending On How We Feel

Everyone knows that crying when you’re happy feels very different compared to crying when you’re sad. Well, the tears you make are different on a microscopic level too! The emotion we feel when we cry actually impacts the chemical composition of the tears produced.

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