Just when we thought we figured everything about human body. These unexplained physiological and psychological mysteries pose a challenge to modern science. It is constantly reminding us about a larger force of nature that science cannot explain. As spooky as it sounds, YOU are all of those mysteries grouped together!
Here is the list of 10 mysterious things about human body:
10. The Southpaws
About 90% of people are right-handed, leaving a minor yet major share of lefties all amongst us struggling to cut a straight line with a pair of scissors. Being left-handed can also have subtle effects on your physical and mental health. Handedness is determined from the beginning of fetal development, though it’s not entirely dependent on genetics, a significant share of genes inherited from parents determine left-handedness. Nobody knows what exactly turns you into a southpaw but a study shows, stress during pregnancy can trigger this condition. It is also twice as common in twins as in general population. A common myth associated with this condition is left-handed people being right-brained because a majority of 70% of left handers are left-brained and show similar emotion, attention, perception and language processing to right-handers.
9. Fingerprints
What’s the point of robbing a bank if your fingerprint gets you caught? Unbelievably, chances of two people having the same fingerprint is about 1 in 64 million! Except for helping the FBI to figure out who the criminal was, there is no particular use of having these ridges on our fingers. For years people thought these help gripping dry objects. Grooves in fingerprints enhance our ability to sense textures. One possible purpose may be to establish and improve our sense of touch or the grooves help sliding the water away while holding wet objects. They were also mistaken for wrinkles formed due to constantly rubbing fingers.
8. Appendix
An appendix is a sac like organ attached to the large intestine. It is believed to be a vestigial organ that once helped early humans to digest tree bark. The presence of this strange worm-shaped organ is an intriguing topic that has long been debated in the scientific world. We still haven’t been able to figure out the actual use of this organ but we assume it is a remnant of evolution. Scientists believe that appendix act as a reservoir of good bacteria and help release them into gut when our immune system is severely compromised. It’s been shown that individuals without appendix are more likely prone to large intestinal infections caused by spore bearing bacteria. It is also believed that they help in the production of antibodies and lymphocytes. However there is no actual proof for these theories.
7. Hypnic Jerks
I’m ever fascinated by this involuntary twitches that causes you to wake up all of a sudden to avoid an accidental fall in your dream. It’s amazing how the door between the outside world and the unreal dreams is not completely closed! Nobody knows what causes them but they seem like a struggle of control established to avoid accidents in what seems to be a realistic dream. Normally we are paralyzed in our sleep but show little movements as a result of our internal excitement. These movements are classified as rapid eye movements and hypnic jerks. Hypnic jerks are reported happening when the person dreams of falling or tripping. As a result mind tries to wake you up to avoid the impending accident.
6. Sneeze
Why do we tend to sneeze when we look at bright lights? This occurs in about 38% of world’s population called photic sneeze reflex or autosomal dominant compulsive helio-ophthalmic outburst. The person experiencing this reflex tend to sneeze while moving from darkness into very bright light. Although there is no convincing theory explaining why the heat from the sun triggers a sneeze, it is believed that sun’s heat vaporizes the fluids in the nose stimulating a sneeze.
5. Yawn
Throughout the ages people believed that one should cover their mouth while yawning to prevent the soul from leaving their body. Many scientists believe that yawning regulates the temperature of the brain. Humans begin to yawn right form the time of their birth and even inside their mother’s womb. Yawning provides our brain a rich supply of oxygen to prevent us from falling asleep when we are bored and regulating the temperature of brain. Even though this sounds believable, it is considered a myth since the research shows no increase in levels of oxygen, temperature, heart rate or blood pressure.
4. Laughter
This is a built-in ability of all human species. Laughter is triggered by sensations and thoughts that activate the part of the brain, about which very little are known to humanity. It is also unique, i.e. every individual reacts and sound different when they laugh. Scientists believe, what makes us happy with sunshine and rainbows is actually a complex process involving several parts of the brain – emotional, cognitive thinking and motor. This occurs unconsciously hence it’s hard to fake laugh at something or when you try to tickle yourself.
3. Altruism
The principle of selfless concern for the well-being of others is one of the most evolved traits of human beings. It is the most debated over behaviors and has no evidence of where, when and how a sense of self-service evolved as a highest moral duty that a person on earth should serve. This is a very unique and innate feature known to us. This evolved to benefit us while choosing a partner in both women and men. This selflessness makes us more attractive in the eyes of opposite gender.
2. Uncomfortable Question
The most intimate question of all is that why do we have pubic hair? According to scientists, humans evolved from apes. This process of evolution has made us loose almost all of the body hair. But why does our sensitive area still retain a major portion of it? It is known that pubic hair grows at a point where a cluster of glands are found. We believe this provides a cushion against possible injury or any other unwanted bacterial infections.
1. Blushing
Blushing with shame is usually associated with body’s response to getting caught in a lie or an awkward position. The only explanation is that this is nature’s way of making people lie less. This is a very unique phenomenon where a surge of adrenaline causes the blood vessels to dilate to increase the flow of blood and oxygen to your face. What triggers such a reaction to embarrassment is still a mystery. The interesting part is this doesn’t happen anywhere else in the body other than the facial veins.