Human Body

Amazing Facts
NAME: MAJED ALGHAMDI
PERIOD: 3
1/30/15

Digestive system
1.

The digestive system is responsible for breaking down food we eat into
smaller components so that nutrients can be easily absorbed by the body and
the waste discarded.

2.

There are two types of digestion. Mechanical digestion is the physical

breakdown of large pieces of food into smaller pieces through, chewing
(mastication). While chemical digestion uses enzymes to break down this food
mass further into small molecules which the body can separate and use.

3.

Saliva in our mouths plays a key role in initial digestion by moistening the
food to help with the mechanical chewing and swallowing process. Saliva also
contains an enzyme which starts the chemical digestion of starchy foods.

4.

Our salivary glands produce around 1.5 liters of saliva each day!

5.

Bolus is the name of the small round slurry mass produced for swallowing as
a result of chewing and starch digestion.

6.

The pharynx, at the back of the throat, has a flap of tissue called the
epiglottis that closes during swallowing to prevent food going down the
trachea (windpipe).

Muscular system
1. Humans

are born with all the muscle fibers

they will ever have.

2. Muscles

cannot push, they only pull; even

when pushing an object.

3. It

takes 17 muscles to smile and 43 to frown.

4. The

only muscle that never tires is our heart.

5. When

youre cold, your muscles contract

involuntarily.

6. Muscles

weight.

make up 40% of your total body

Skeletal System
1.

At birth the human skeleton is made up of around 300 bones. By adulthood,

some bones have fused together to end up with 206 bones.

2.

Human bones grow continually from birth till our mid 20's. Our skeleton's bone
mass is at its maximum density around the age of 30.

3.

If broken our bones will re-grow and repair themselves. Often doctors will place
a cast on splint to make sure these bones repair straight and true.

4.

The axial skeleton part of the human skeleton has 80 bones. It includes the
vertebral column, the rib cage and the skull and helps us maintain our upright
posture, by spreading the weight in the head, and upper areas down to the
lower areas near the hips.

5.

The appendicular skeletal section of our skeleton has 126 bones. It includes
the pectoral (shoulder) girdles, the pelvic girdle and the bones of the lower and
upper limbs. Its function is for movement of the body and to protect some
organs.

6.

The human skeletal system has six major functions including the production of
blood cells, for support, for movement, for protection, for storage of ions and
endocrine regulation.

Nervous system
1.

Motor neurons transmit neural signals to activate muscles or glands.

2.

Sensory neurons change light, touch and sound into neural signals which
are sent back to our CNS to help our body understand and react to its
surroundings.

3.

The nervous system is a complex structure of nerves of neurons that

transmit signals around the body to coordinate actions. It is in effect our
body's electrical wiring.

4.

Nerves are enclosed bundles of long fibers called axons which are made up
of nerve cells. There are two types of nerve cells: neurons and glial cells.

5.

Glial (or glia) cells are derived from the Greek word "glue". They are
specialized cells that provide structure and support to neurons. They help
hold neurons in place, supply nutrients to neurons, destroy germs, remove
dead neurons, and direct axons of neurons.

6.

Some types of glial cells generate a substance called myelin that coat axons
and work as electrical insulation to help them quickly and efficiently
transmit signals.

Immune or lymphatic system

1.

Getting under 5 hours of sleep a night has been shown to

greatly depress immune function in your body.

2.

Studies show that people who lack humor in their lives tend
to have less protective immune responses.

3.

Toxins such as air pollution, pesticides and even second-hand

cigarette smoke can affect your body's natural defense
system.

4.

In your blood, there are around 50 billion white cells whose

only interest is to keep your body's natural defenses in good
condition, so don't worry if you lose 5 billion when you give
blood - you still have a few left.

5.

When your catecholamine and CD8 levels change, these

levels can suppress the immune system.

6.

Dieting decreases natural killer cell functionality, therefore

weakling the immune system.

Respiratory system
1.

The right lung is slightly larger than the left.

2.

Hairs in the nose help to clean the air we breathe

as well as warming it.

3.

The highest recorded "sneeze speed" is 165 km

per hour.

4.

The surface area of the lungs is roughly the same

size as a tennis court.

5.

The capillaries in the lungs would extend 1,600

kilometers if placed end to end.

6.

We lose half a liter of water a day through

breathing. This is the water vapor we see when we
breathe onto glass.

Cardiovascular system
1.

The heart beats around 3 billion times in the averages

person's life.

2.

About 8 million blood cells die in the human body every

second, and the same number are born each second.

3.

Within a tiny droplet of blood, there are some 5 million red

blood cells.

4.

It takes about 20 seconds for a red blood cell to circle the

whole body.

5.

Red blood cells make approximately 250,000 round trips of

the body before returning to the bone marrow, where they
were born, to die.

6.

Red blood cells may live for about 4 months circulating

throughout the body, feeding the 60 trillion other body cells.

Sources
1.

http://
www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/humanbody/digestivesystem.html

2.

http://degreed.com/blog/top-10-facts-muscular-system/

3.

http://
www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/humanbody/skeletonbones.html

4.

http://
www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/humanbody/nervoussystem.html

5.

https://sites.google.com/site/immunesystem305/interesting-facts

6.

http://warriors.warren.k12.il.us/dburke/amazingfactsrespiratory.htm

7.

http://warriors.warren.k12.il.us/dburke/amazingfactscirculatory.htm