stackyFACTS
Health

What those white spots on your nails really mean

HERE’S THE INTERESTING PART

Despite what old wives' tales told you about calcium deficiencies, those little white spots on your fingernails are just evidence of your own clumsiness. Known formally as leukonychia, these tiny marks are the direct result of minor physical trauma to the base of the nail matrix. By the time the spot grows out far enough for you to see it, you've long forgotten bumping your hand.

From the Stacky collection1 min read
What those white spots on your nails really mean
STACKY / Health
Topics in this factintegumentaryleukonychiabiology
One discovery leads to another.

Keep exploring facts in this topic.

Health →
STACKY FOR IPHONE

A bigger world.
One discovery
at a time.

Keep discovering with Stacky. Interesting facts in an app that is always within reach.

Download on the App Store
ONE MORE DISCOVERY?

Keep exploring

All in this topic →
Lymphatic networks drain waste without any pump
Health

Lymphatic networks drain waste without any pump

Unlike the circulatory network, your biological sewer system has absolutely no central engine pushing things along. It entirely relies on the random…

Discover more
Your body contains enough carbon for 9,000 pencils
Health

Your body contains enough carbon for 9,000 pencils

You are essentially just a walking, talking pile of office supplies waiting to happen. The human body is composed of about 18% carbon by mass, making it the…

Discover more
Despite being considered a useless ticking time bomb for decades, what does the appendix actually do?
Health

Despite being considered a useless ticking time bomb for decades, what does the appendix actually do?

Despite being considered a useless ticking time bomb for decades, what does the appendix actually do?

Discover more
Bioluminescence is a real phenomenon in humans, meaning you literally glow in the dark, though the light emitted by your body is 1,000 times weaker than what your pathetic human eyes can detect.
Health

Bioluminescence is a real phenomenon in humans, meaning you literally glow in the dark, though the light emitted by your body is 1,000 times weaker than what your pathetic human eyes can detect.

Bioluminescence is a real phenomenon in humans, meaning you literally glow in the dark, though the light emitted by your body is 1,000 times weaker than what…

Discover more
Why travel can upset your immune system
Health

Why travel can upset your immune system

The stress of transit, combined with entirely new ambient microbes, throws your immune and digestive systems into absolute chaos. Your body treats a simple…

Discover more
Why your body temperature must drop before sleep
Health

Why your body temperature must drop before sleep

You cannot effortlessly pass out in a sweltering room because your internal thermostat physically must drop to trigger the cycle. Tossing the blankets off is…

Discover more
StackyMore discoveries in the app
Download on the App Store