1,000 Amazing Human Body Facts

176 Pages·2021·46.955 MB·English

by  D.K. Publishing

Senior editor Ben Morgan
Senior art editor Jacqui Swan
Editors Tom Booth, Jolyon Goddard, Steve Setford
US editor Jennette ElNaggar
Designers Sunita Gahir, Laura Gardner, Lauren Quinn,
Peter Radcliffe, Samantha Richiardi, Mary Sandberg
Illustrators Adam Benton, Peter Bull,
Stuart Jackson-Carter, Arran Lewis
Creative retouching Steve Crozier
Picture research coordinator Sumita Khatwani
Jacket design Stephanie Cheng Hui Tan
Jacket design development manager Sophia MTT
Producer, pre-production George Nimmo
Senior producer Meskerem Berhane
Managing art editor Owen Peyton Jones
Managing editor Rachel Fox
Publisher Andrew Macintyre
Art director Karen Self
Associate publishing director Liz Wheeler
Publishing director Jonathan Metcalf
Writers Jolyon Goddard, Derek Harvey, Tom Jackson,
Andrea Mills, Ben Morgan, Ginny Smith, Nicola Temple
First American Edition, 2021
Published in the United States by DK Publishing
1450 Broadway, Suite 801, New York, NY 10018
Copyright © 2021 Dorling Kindersley Limited
DK, a Division of Penguin Random House LLC
21 22 23 24 25 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
001–319151–Aug/2021
All rights reserved.
Without limiting the rights under the copyright
reserved above, no part of this publication may be
reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval
system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means
(electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or
otherwise), without the prior written permission
of the copyright owner.
Published in Great Britain by Dorling Kindersley Limited
A catalog record for this book
is available from the Library of Congress.
ISBN 978-0-7440-2884-3
DK books are available at special discounts when
purchased in bulk for sales promotions, premiums,
fund-raising, or educational use. For details, contact:
DK Publishing Special Markets,
1450 Broadway, Suite 801, New York, NY 10018
[email protected]
Printed and bound in China
www.dk.com
000022--000033__IImmpprriinntt__TTiittllee__UUSS..iinndddd 22 0099//0044//22002211 1155::4400
Senior editor Ben Morgan
Senior art editor Jacqui Swan
Editors Tom Booth, Jolyon Goddard, Steve Setford
US editor Jennette ElNaggar
Designers Sunita Gahir, Laura Gardner, Lauren Quinn,
Peter Radcliffe, Samantha Richiardi, Mary Sandberg
Illustrators Adam Benton, Peter Bull,
Stuart Jackson-Carter, Arran Lewis
Creative retouching Steve Crozier
Picture research coordinator Sumita Khatwani
Jacket design Stephanie Cheng Hui Tan
Jacket design development manager Sophia MTT
Producer, pre-production George Nimmo
Senior producer Meskerem Berhane
Managing art editor Owen Peyton Jones
Managing editor Rachel Fox
Publisher Andrew Macintyre
Art director Karen Self
Associate publishing director Liz Wheeler
Publishing director Jonathan Metcalf
Writers Jolyon Goddard, Derek Harvey, Tom Jackson,
Andrea Mills, Ben Morgan, Ginny Smith, Nicola Temple
First American Edition, 2021
Published in the United States by DK Publishing
1450 Broadway, Suite 801, New York, NY 10018
Copyright © 2021 Dorling Kindersley Limited
DK, a Division of Penguin Random House LLC
21 22 23 24 25 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
001–319151–Aug/2021
All rights reserved.
Without limiting the rights under the copyright
reserved above, no part of this publication may be
reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval
system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means
(electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or
otherwise), without the prior written permission
of the copyright owner.
Published in Great Britain by Dorling Kindersley Limited
A catalog record for this book
is available from the Library of Congress.
ISBN 978-0-7440-2884-3
DK books are available at special discounts when
purchased in bulk for sales promotions, premiums,
fund-raising, or educational use. For details, contact:
DK Publishing Special Markets,
1450 Broadway, Suite 801, New York, NY 10018
[email protected]
Printed and bound in China
www.dk.com
000022--000033__IImmpprriinntt__TTiittllee__UUSS..iinndddd 22 0099//0044//22002211 1155::4400 000022--000033__IImmpprriinntt__TTiittllee__UUSS..iinndddd 33 0099//0044//22002211 1155::4400
S
T
N 1BODY BASICS 3 MAKE A MOVE
E
What’s Your Body How Many Bones
Made Of? ..................... 8 Do You Have? ............... 36
T
How Many Cells How Strong Are
Do You Have? ................10 Your Bones? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
N
Human Cells .................12 Bone Cells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
How Many Organs How Many Bones Are
O
Do You Have? ................14 in Your Skull? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Body Facts ...................16 How Many Bones Are
C in Your Hands and Feet? ......44
How Do Your Bones Heal? .... 46
How Do Your Joints Work? ....48
How Many Muscles Are
in Your Fingers? ............. 50
2
OUTER BARRIER
Muscle Cells ................ 52
Skeleton and Muscle Facts ... 54
How Much Skin Do
You Grow? ...................20
Skin Flakes ..................22
How Fast Do Nails Grow? .....24
How Many Hairs
4
Do You Have? ................26 TRANSPORT
NETWORK
How Much Hair Do
You Grow? ...................28
How Long Are Your
Eyelashes ....................30 Blood Vessels? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Skin, Nail, and Hair Facts .....32 How Small Are Blood Cells? ..60
How Much Blood Does
Your Heart Pump? .......... 62
How Big Are Your Lungs? ... 64
How Much Air Do
You Breathe? ..... ......... 66
Heart, Blood, and
Lungs Facts ................ 68
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S
T
N 1BODY BASICS 3 MAKE A MOVE 5 FUELING THE BODY 7 SUPER SENSES 9 THE CYCLE
OF LIFE
E
What’s Your Body How Many Bones How Much Food Do How Many Senses How Big Is a Baby? ......... 148
Made Of? ..................... 8 Do You Have? ............... 36 You Eat? ..................... 72 Do You Have? .............. 108
Ultrasound Scan ........... 150
T
How Many Cells How Strong Are How Many Teeth Do How Many Colors
How Much DNA
Do You Have? ................10 Your Bones? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 You Have? .................... 74 Can You See? .............. 110
Do You Have? .............. 152
N
Human Cells .................12 Bone Cells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Inside Your Teeth ............. 76 Cones and Rods ............ 112
Reproduction Facts ......... 154
How Many Organs How Many Bones Are How Much Saliva Do How Do Illusions Work? .... 114
O
Do You Have? ................14 in Your Skull? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 You Make? ...................78
Otolith ..................... 116
Body Facts ...................16 How Many Bones Are How Big Is Your
How Many Things
C in Your Hands and Feet? ......44 Stomach? .................. 80
Can You Taste? ............. 118
How Do Your Bones Heal? .... 46 Gastric Pits ..................82
What’s the Smallest
10
How Do Your Joints Work? ....48 Where Does Food Go? ........84 Bone in the Body? .......... 120 YOUR
OPERATING
How Many Muscles Are Intestinal Villi ............... 86 Stereocilia ................. 122
SYSTEMS
in Your Fingers? ............. 50
How Much Pee Senses Facts .............. 124
2
OUTER BARRIER
Muscle Cells ................ 52 Do You Pee? ................... 88
Skeleton ................... 158
Skeleton and Muscle Facts ... 54 What’s Your Pee
Muscles ................... 159
Made Of? .................... 90
How Much Skin Do
Blood Circulation ........... 160
You Grow? ...................20
How Much Water Is
in Your Body? ................92 Lymphatic System ......... 161
Skin Flakes ..................22
How Fast Do Nails Grow? .....24 Food and Digestion Facts .... 94 8SELF-DEFENSE Digestion .................. 162
Respiration ................ 163
How Many Hairs
4
Do You Have? ................26 TRANSPORT
Kidneys and Bladder ....... 164
How Many Microbes
NETWORK
How Much Hair Do Live in Your Body? .......... 128
Reproduction .............. 165
You Grow? ...................28
How Long Are Your How Small Is a Nerves ..................... 166
Eyelashes ....................30 Blood Vessels? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Bacterium? ................ 130
6IN CONTROL Endocrine System .......... 167
Skin, Nail, and Hair Facts .....32 How Small Are Blood Cells? ..60 How Far Does a
Sneeze Travel? ........... 132
How Much Blood Does
Your Heart Pump? .......... 62 How Fast Is a Follicle Mite .............. 134 Glossary ................... 168
How Big Are Your Lungs? .. . 64 Nerve Signal? ................98 How Small Is a Virus? ...... 136 Index ...................... 174
How Much Information
How Much Air Do Viruses ................... 138
Can Your Brain Store? ...... 100
You Breathe? .. .. .. . ... ... . 66
Why Do Feet Smell? ........ 140
Growth Hormone ........... 102
Heart, Blood, and
Macrophage ............... 142
Lungs Facts ................ 68 Brain and Nerve Facts ...... 104
Immune System Facts ..... 144
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Body Basics
Your body is a giant jigsaw made
of 30 trillion tiny pieces called
cells. Neatly organized into
tissues and organs, they work
nonstop day and night to keep
every part of you working.
The inside of your body is normally
hidden, but an X-ray camera can see
right through you to create ghostly
images of your bones and teeth.
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8 THERE’S ENOUGH PHOSPHORUS IN THE HUMAN BODY TO MAKE 220 MATCHES
WHAT’S YOUR
BODY MADE OF?
The human body is made of exactly the same
chemical substances as all other living things,
from fleas to whales. The building blocks of
all substances are elements—pure chemicals
that can’t be broken down into simpler ones.
There are 118 chemical elements, but a mere
six of these make up 99 percent of your body.
The most abundant is oxygen, which makes
Your body
up about 66 percent of your weight, and the
contains enough
second most abundant is carbon, which
carbon to make a
makes up 18.5 percent of your weight.
diamond as big
as a soccer
ball.
Your body contains a There’s enough Most of the
tiny amount of gold, iron in your body elements in
but you’d need 40,000 to make a 3 in your body
people (about one full (7 cm) nail. Iron formed in the
football stadium) to is needed to cores of dying
S make a single gold ring. carry oxygen in stars.
T your blood.
C
A
F

T
S
A
F
YOUR BODY
CONTAINS ABOUT
50 TEASPOONS
OF SALT.
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8 THERE’S ENOUGH PHOSPHORUS IN THE HUMAN BODY TO MAKE 220 MATCHES THERE’S ENOUGH CARBON IN THE HUMAN BODY TO MAKE MORE THAN 10,000 PENCILS 9
WHAT’S YOUR
HOW IT WORKS
BODY MADE OF?
The four most abundant elements
in the human body are oxygen, carbon,
hydrogen, and nitrogen. Oxygen is the
most abundant of all because it’s part
The human body is made of exactly the same
of water (H O), which makes up
2
chemical substances as all other living things, more than half of your weight.
from fleas to whales. The building blocks of
all substances are elements—pure chemicals
Others (including iron,
calcium, phosphorus,
that can’t be broken down into simpler ones. Nitrogen 3.5%
potassium, sodium,
chlorine, magnesium,
There are 118 chemical elements, but a mere and sulfur) 3.5%
Hydrogen 9.5%
six of these make up 99 percent of your body.
The most abundant is oxygen, which makes Carbon 18.5%
Your body
up about 66 percent of your weight, and the
contains enough
second most abundant is carbon, which
carbon to make a
makes up 18.5 percent of your weight.
diamond as big
as a soccer
ball. Oxygen 65%
Oxygen helps your cells
Your body contains a There’s enough Most of the
get energy. Air is 21
tiny amount of gold, iron in your body elements in
percent oxygen.
but you’d need 40,000 to make a 3 in your body
people (about one full (7 cm) nail. Iron formed in the
football stadium) to is needed to cores of dying
S make a single gold ring. carry oxygen in stars. Carbon is the element
T your blood.
C that diamonds and pencil
A lead are made from.
F

T
S
A Diamond is made of carbon atoms
F Hydrogen is the most
arranged in a crystal structure. The
common element in the
average person has about 27 lb
universe. The sun is
(12 kg) of carbon in their body, but made of hydrogen.
none of it is diamond. Instead, the
carbon atoms in your body are
arranged in long chains. Carbon Nitrogen is essential for
chains form the backbones of building muscles and
organic molecules such as DNA, other tissues. Plants
need it to grow.
proteins, fats, and carbohydrates.
All forms of life are based on carbon.
YOUR BODY PHOSPHORUS YOUR BODY
CONTAINS ABOUT HELPS MAKE CONTAINS ABOUT
50 TEASPOONS YOUR TEETH 90 MICROGRAMS
STRONG. URANIUM.
OF SALT. OF
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10 90 PERCENT OF YOUR CELLS ARE BLOOD CELLS
If your cells
were as big as
grains of rice,
your body would be
the size of New York’s
Empire State
Building.
S
T
C
A If you laid all your 30 trillion The largest cell in the
F cells end to end, you’d have living world is the egg of

T
enough to wrap around an ostrich—it’s about
S
A Earth more than 13 times. 6 in (15 cm) long.
F
1665
GENES ARE
CELLS WERE
STORED IN
DISCOVERED

DNA
CELLS AS
IN THE YEAR 1665.
MOLECULES.
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