The human body is composed of around 100 trillion cells, but only 10% of those cells are actually human - the other 90% come from microorganisms like viruses, bacteria, and other microbes that mostly support good health. While genes only make up 3% of human DNA, the remaining 97% is non-coding DNA that controls gene activity by turning genes on and off. Cells in the body are constantly dying and regenerating, with red blood cells living around 4 months and skin cells lasting only 2-3 weeks.

1. ABOUT LIFE SCIENCE
Crazy Facts

2. The human body is composed of about 100 trillion
cells, but only about a tenth of those cells are
human.
1.
Fortunately, most of
these microbes
actually support good
health and keep you
alive.
The other 9 out of
10 cells come from
viruses, bacteria, and
other microorganisms.

3. Speaking of microorganisms, kisses transfer fewer
germs than handshakes.
2.
So if you’re sick with a
cold, feel free to
smooch as long as you
keep your hands to
yourself.
Hands come in
contact with a lot of
surfaces, making
them much more
critical in the chain
of infection than
your lips.

4. You are taller in the morning than you are at night.
3.
Over the course of the day, the effects of gravity push down on your spine.
When you lie down at night, gravity isn’t pushing down on your vertebrae,
allowing your back to stretch to its natural length. In the mornings, you can
be as much as 25 mm taller.
Similarly, in the
weightlessness of space,
astronauts can actually grow
up to 2 inches in height.

5. Genes only make up 3% of your DNA.
4.
While scientists initially thought
the other 97% was “junk” DNA,
they found that this noncoding
DNA controls gene activity,
turning genes on or off and
programming other compounds.

6. 5.
Of course, that’s hair not
still connected to your
scalp, so don’t try
reenacting scenes from
Rapunzel anytime soon.
Human hair can support 12 metric tons.

7. 6.
Red blood cells
live about 4
months
White blood
cells live over a
year
Sperm cells live
all of three
days
Brain cells
typically last an
entire lifetime
Skin cells live
about 2-3
weeks
Colon cells live
for only four
days
Cells in your body are constantly dying and
regenerating.

8. 7.
Human bone has a support strength
that is four times that of concrete. A
block of bone the size of a matchbox
can support 9 metric tons.
Human bone is as strong as granite, at least in
terms of support.

9. 8. In a lifetime, the average person sheds about 40
pounds of skin.
That’s more than
the weight of the
average American 4
year old.

10. 9.
Our hairs just
happen to be so
short, light, and fine
that they are
practically invisible.
Humans have about the same number of
hairs on their bodies as chimpanzees.

11. 10.
But don’t fret. In your 5 liters of
blood, every microliter contains
5,000 to 10,000 white blood
cells.
White blood cells only make up about 1% of
the cells in your blood.

12. 11.
But don’t fret. In your 5 liters of
blood, every microliter contains
5,000 to 10,000 white blood
cells.
Brought to you by Cell Biolabs | cellbiolabs.com
Resources:
http://www.news.com.au/technology/science/crazy-facts-weve-learned-from-science/story-fn5fsgyc-1226758995145
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-508016/Why-kiss-better-handshake-want-avoid-cold.html
http://breakingmuscle.com/health-medicine/10-awesome-and-little-known-facts-about-the-human-body
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1459276/
http://phys.org/news/2011-02-fairytale-rest-human-hair.html
http://listverse.com/2008/06/10/top-15-amazing-facts-about-the-human-body/
http://www.babycenter.com/0_your-childs-size-and-growth-timeline_10357633.bc
http://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/jan/27/20-human-body-facts-science
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/06/13/154913334/finally-a-map-of-all-the-microbes-on-your-body
http://www.livescience.com/33179-does-human-body-replace-cells-seven-years.html
http://blogs.ancestry.com/cm/2014/09/16/10-weird-but-true-facts-about-dna/
http://listverse.com/2013/05/02/10-amazing-facts-about-dna/
http://www.livescience.com/40712-immune-system-surprising-facts.html