BODY HUMAN

Most common non-contagious disease in the world: tooth decay

Blood is red only in the arteries after it has left the heart and is full of oxygen-- it's a purplish-blue color in the veins. When cut, your blood appears red because it is instantly exposed to oxygen

Corpses today take nearly twice as long to decompose as 50 years ago due to the increase in the amount of preservatives and other chemical additives in our food

Each red blood cell lives an average of 4 months and travels between the lungs and other tissues 75,000 times before returning to the bone marrow to die

In 1990, more than 15,000 people in the U.S. arrived at hospitals with vacuum cleaner related accidents

If you lock your knees together while standing long enough, you will eventually faint

In 1977, a 13 year old boy discovered a tooth growing out of his left foot

The Hunza in northwest Kashmir have never experienced cancer

If you squeezed out all of the bacteria from your intestines, you could fill a coffee mug

Influenza got its name from the widely held belief that the illness was caused by the evil "influence" of the stars

1 in 20 people have an extra rib

More organ transplants are performed in Pittsburgh than anywhere else in the world

Your right lung is larger than your left

When you sneeze all of your body functions momentarily stop, including your heart

In the U.S., the most common mental illness is an anxiety disorder, followed by depression

The colors red, orange and yellow are used most frequently in fast food restaurants because these are the colors that stimulate hunger

The color blue can relax most people because it signals the brain to release chemicals that produce a calming effect

Each year in the United States more than 300,000 teenagers contract a sexually transmitted disease

Percent of American men who are circumcised: 80%

The animal responsible for the most human deaths worldwide: mosquito

Every square inch of the human body has about 32 million bacteria on it

Even if the stomach, the spleen, 75% of the liver, 80% of the intestines, one kidney, one lung, and virtually every organ from the pelvic and groin areas were removed, the human body can still survive

The typical person uses the toilet 6 times a day

On average, three sex-change operations take place in the U.S. each day

The slowest growing fingernail is on the thumb-- the fastest growing is on the middle finger of your dominant hand

The human ear grows about .01 inches every year

Number of Americans currently infected with a sexually transmitted disease: 1 in 5

The only part of the human body that cannot develop cancer: lens of the eye

Speed of fastest human flatulence ever recorded: 10 feet per second

Since the first documented report in 1609, scientists and doctors have recorded 81 more cases of men with two penises

We forget more than 80% of what we learn each day

Average I.Q.: 100

As you age, your eye color gets lighter

Percent of the world's population that is drunk right now: .7%

The sound you hear when you "crack" your knuckles is nitrogen gas bubbles bursting

The only part of the human body that has no blood supply is the cornea of the eye, which takes oxygen directly from the air

Snoring occurs only in non-REM (rapid eye movement) sleep

63% of schizophrenics in the non-industrialized world compared to 32% in developed countries showed remission after two years

You have no sense of smell when sleeping

Over 4,000 people per year require medical attention for injuries from teapots

The ashes of a cremated person weigh, on average, 9 lbs

Most common item shoplifted from a drugstore or pharmacy: Preparation H, followed by condoms

2/3 of Americans suffer from hemorrhoids

All the chemicals in the human body have a combined value of about $2.50

Location where you are most likely to be poisoned: your home

In 2006, Debby Mills-Newbroughton, age 99, was being pushed in her wheelchair by her daughter to cross the street. She was on her way to her birthday party to celebrate that she would be turning 100 years the next day. Unfortunately, she was killed when her wheelchair was struck by the truck delivering her birthday cake.