Does it ever scare you to see how complex the human body is when you really think about it?
Redditor BathNo7713 quizzed the r/AskReddit community on what they consider to be the “most disturbing fact about the human body” and a flurry of weird, gross, and extraordinary responses poured in from thousands of users.
We’ve rounded up some of our favorite answers from the thread, with sources included, that might teach you something new about the meat suit you’re inhabiting.
by GIPHY
Humans have stripes we can’t see
They are called Blaschko lines and cover the body from head to toe. We just can’t see them.https://t.co/nZMEpNFAcV
— Mind Floss (@mental_floss) November 22, 2019
We have stripes we can’t see
[Privatizitaet]
How can our stripes be real if our eyes aren’t real?
Are you also talking about wtf?
Atomic Steel
They are in a different wavelength of light that our eyes cannot detect. We also shine in a specific spectrum.
[No6655321]
Your eyes have an ocular immune privilege
Your immune system doesn’t know your eyes exist, if it did it would attack them and blind you
[Marshall1325]
I regret that I ever opened this thread
[justheretohelp9]
It was very revealing!
[Gamer-Logic]
Stomach Acid Is Much Stronger Than You Think
Stomach acid is very powerful, it would burn us if we didn’t secrete mucus every few hours
[finester39]
This is also why we salivate excessively shortly before we vomit. It is our body’s self-defense mechanism to reduce the acid that damages the esophagus.
[a_chewy_hamster]
No wonder I salivate so much before throwing up. I can always tell I’m about to kick cause my mouth is full of saliva
[MyHorseIsAmazinger]
It’s also because your saliva before you vomit contains an enzyme that tells your stomach to vomit once swallowed. You can actually forcibly delay vomiting if you need to by spitting out the saliva before the vomit instead of swallowing it.
[Guydelot ]
The first thing humans develop as an embryo is an anus
Your asshole and your mouth come from the same grouping of cells during development, but the asshole cells form first and then the mouth cells form from them. That means your mouth is coming from your ass.
PucWalker
Fun fact: Organisms that form through the asshole first are called deuterostomes, while organisms that form through the mouth first are called protostomes.
Source: For some reason I needed to know this for the MCAT
PierreParkour4
Humans are deuterostomes. This means that as embryos, the first thing to develop is an opening that will eventually become the anus. So at one time you were just an asshole
KingZaneTheStrange
And some people never stop being one.
UsernameObscured
Menstrual cramps are literally choking your body
In the majority of cases, period cramps are caused by the intermittent contraction of your uterus – the blood vessels constrict when this happens and it temporarily causes discomfort during the contraction. pic.twitter.com/0Uz4WAa4JU
– Vagina Museum (@vagina_museum) March 10, 2021
Menstrual cramps are basically your uterus choking.
To remove the uterine lining from your uterus during your period, your uterus must contract. Sometimes when the contractions are stronger, your uterus squeezes its blood vessels so tightly that oxygen can’t reach them, which sends pain signals to your brain (ouch). But wait, there’s more – this process increases your production of chemicals called prostaglandins, which further promote uterine contractions. There really is no mercy.
[spookypinkchic ]
Oh and that nonsense triggers the famous bullshit of the period. It’s like your body thinks it’s funny to make you look upset.
[vannabael]
I will never forget the time I had severe food poisoning on the worst day of my period. Vomit comes out on one side, liquid fire shits on the other, and each heave feels like I’m about to pass out from the pain. These were legitimately the worst hours of my life.
[starkrocket]
Tattoo ink turns your lymph nodes black
People with tattoos often have black body lymph nodes trying to get rid of the ink
[beandip111]
You make and swallow over a quart of saliva every day
You make and swallow between 1 and 2 liters of saliva. All. Day.
[NemoSum]
Everyone reading this just swallowed manually.
[tolarus]
Like someone who finds saliva beyond revolt.
It’s disgusting. 🤢
[alittlebitcheeky]
Scientists Once Found A Bacteria That Was Previously Only In Japan In A Man’s Belly Button
In 2012, scientists took 60 human navels and identified a total of 2,368 bacterial species, 1,458 of which were new to science.
One person’s navel harbored a bacterium that had previously only been found in Japanese soil. The person had never been to Japan. pic.twitter.com/8lI2vhfV3i
— IFLScience (@IFLScience) August 4, 2021
Once, scientists took a swab from inside an American’s navel to observe the bacteria living there.
They discovered bacteria previously only known to exist in Japan. The man had never traveled outside the United States
So you never know what bacteria from another country you are carrying in your navel
[Soggy_Willingness_65]
If I remember correctly, and the article about this experiment revealed that the bacterial combination in our navels is almost as unique as our fingerprints.
The_wolf_sarcastic
I’m cleaning this bitch up with rubbing alcohol from now on.
[cIumsythumbs]
The slightest injury to your brain can change your life forever
This slow-motion video depicts brain movement during an impact event. Concussions are the most common form of head injury and are a growing concern in many contact sports [Source, University of California: https://t.co/XBdcrkIMKY] [more: https://t.co/DAXF3gFYVG] pic.twitter.com/XhuUfZcXUd
— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) November 9, 2019
The slightest injury to your brain can change your whole life. Depending on which part of the brain is injured, you may lose your special/general senses, control of your own body, ability to produce and/or understand language, memories, personality, etc. Don’t forget to wear a helmet everyone!
[Trash_Panda_Roxx]
At the same time, there are parts of your brain that you can lose while still being able to function completely normally. Shit is wild.
[iamthedevilfrank ]
This! You can survive a bullet to the head, but if you hit your head badly, it’s over!
[Vexed_Moon]
[Read more disturbing facts about the human body on r/AskReddit]