Category Zoology

What are the human body basics?

More than 93 per cent of the human body consists of three chemical elements – oxygen (65%), carbon (18.5%) and hydrogen (10%). Nitrogen (3%), calcium (1.5%), and phosphorous (1%) are also present in significant amounts. At least 54 chemical elements feature in total, but most of these are tiny traces.

Oxygen 65%

About two-thirds of the body is oxygen. Most of the oxygen is bonded with hydrogen to form H2O – the chemical formula for water.

Carbon 18.5%

Nearly one-fifth of the body is carbon, the same element that coal, diamond, and the lead of pencils are made from.

Hydrogen 10%

The most common element in the universe, hydrogen has the tiniest atoms, and is mostly bonded with carbon or oxygen in the body.

Others in Human Body- 6.5%

Other elements less than 1.0%

Iron 0.006%

Sodium 0.2%

Potassium 0.4%

Phosphorus 0.4%

Calcium 1.5%

Nitrogen 3.2%

Precious elements

The human body contains a tiny amount of gold – less than the weight of a grain of sand. Most of the body’s gold is in the blood.

 

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What makes a body?

The human body is made from the same components as every other living thing. It is the way that they are put together that makes our bodies uniquely human. The basic materials are simple chemicals such as water, carbon, and oxygen, but they join to create more complex compounds. Trillions of microscopic cells become the building blocks of life, grouping together to form skin, bone, blood, and organs, until the body becomes complete.

Body composition may be analyzed in various ways. This can be done in terms of the chemical elements present, or by molecular type e.g., water, protein, fats (or lipids), hydroxylapatite (in bones), carbohydrates (such as glycogen and glucose) and DNA. In terms of tissue type, the body may be analyzed into water, fat, connective tissue, muscle, bone, etc. In terms of cell type, the body contains hundreds of different types of cells, but notably, the largest number of cells contained in a human body (though not the largest mass of cells) are not human cells, but bacteria residing in the normal human gastrointestinal tract.

 

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Why do rhinos have bad eyesight?

Their eyes, in comparison to the rest of their body, are absolutely tiny. They’re ranked as one of the most poorly-sighted animals on the planet, up there with bats and moles.

A recent anatomical study of the black rhino’s retina at an Australian university suggests that the human form should be detectable at nearly 200 meters – 10 times the distance previously suspected and in direct conflict with what Nat Geo has stated.

Early 20th-century researcher William Bates has claimed that rhinos can at least improve their dire situation, though. His work, which isn’t universally accepted, suggests that rhinos are able to sharpen their focus by squinting and closing one eye – just like humans do.

In recent years bad news has come thick and fast: the western black rhino and northern white rhinos were declared extinct, only two northern white rhinos remained alive and, just four months ago, Iman, the last Sumatran Rhinoceros in Malaysia, died, Rhinos are far from the only big beast to be endangered by reduced numbers and resultant in-breeding.

 

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How many eyes do earthworms have?

Earthworms have no eyes, but they do have light receptors and can tell when they are in the dark, or in the light. Why is being able to detect light so important to a worm?

Earthworms have no ears, but their bodies can sense the vibrations of animals moving nearby.

Worms breathe air in and carbon dioxide out, just like us, but they don’t have lungs. They can’t breathe through their mouth, and certainly can’t breathe through their nose because they don’t even have one! They breathe through their skin. Air dissolves on the mucus of their skin, so they MUST stay moist to breathe. If worms dry out, they suffocate. As fresh air is taken in through the skin, oxygen is drawn into the worm’s circulatory system, and the worm’s hearts pump the oxygenated blood to the head area. The movements of the worm’s body make the blood flow back to the back end of the body, and the hearts pump the blood forward again. Carbon dioxide dissolves out of the blood back to the skin.

 

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How many eyelids does a camel have?

Camels have not one, not two, but three eyelids. Called a nictitating membrane, the transparent lid helps keep out sand and dust; it can even improve vision, like a contact lens. Many animals, including dogs, cats, sharks, and some birds and amphibians, also have third eyelids.  Animals with a third eyelid use the thin, protective membrane to blink away debris, sharpen vision and enable themselves to see clearly underwater.

Some of our most popular pets sport third eyelids, though you may not have noticed. Dogs and cats generally hide their third eyelids. If you happen to see an opaque film covering your buddy’s eye, that’s his nictitating membrane. Some dogs and cats let their third eyelids down, so to speak, when they’re totally relaxed or falling asleep; however, they generally retract them when alerted or awoken. If you notice your dog or cat’s third eyelid for a prolonged period, this may indicate a medical problem. Cherry eye is one of the most common problems associated with the third eyelid. This ailment presents itself as a reddened bulge in the inside corner of your pet’s eye. 

 

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HOW CAN ATHLETES TRAINING IMPROVE PERFORMANCE?

Training improves performance by building up endurance, strength, flexibility and speed. This is done by improving the techniques used in a particular sport, strengthening the muscles used, improving athletes’ understanding of how their bodies are performing and giving them confidence to try even harder. There are lots of training methods, and variety can help to prevent boredom setting in.

Motor-performance fitness is defined as the ability of the neuromuscular system to perform specific tasks. Test items used to assess motor-performance fitness include chin-ups, sit-ups, the 50-yard dash, the standing long jump, and the shuttle run (a timed run in which the participant dashes back and forth between two points). The primary physical characteristics measured by these tests are the strength and endurance of the skeletal muscles and the speed or power of the legs. These traits are important for success in many types of athletics. Muscular strength and endurance are also related to some aspects of health.

There is disagreement among experts about the relative importance of health-related and motor-performance physical fitness. While both types of fitness are obviously desirable, their relative values should be determined by an individual’s personal fitness objectives. If success in athletic events is of primary importance, motor-performance fitness should be emphasized. If concern about health is paramount, health-related fitness should be the focus. Different types of fitness may be important not only to different individuals but also to the same individual at different times. The 16-year-old competing on a school athletic team is likely to focus on motor performance. The typical middle-aged individual is not as likely to be concerned about athletic success, emphasizing instead health and appearance. One further point should be made: to a great extent, motor-performance physical fitness is determined by genetic potential. The person who can run fast at 10 years of age will be fast at age 17; although training may enhance racing performance, it will not appreciably change the individual’s genetically determined running speed. On the other hand, characteristics of health-related physical fitness, while also partly determined by inheritance, are much more profoundly influenced by exercise habits.

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