Health
Discover facts about health. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Health
Chewing starts digestion before food reaches your stomach
Your jaw breaks food into smaller pieces while saliva moistens it and begins breaking down starch. That gives later digestive processes more surface to work…
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Glutamate acts as the main excitatory signal
When a neuron releases glutamate into the tiny gap between cells, it binds to receptors on the next neuron and makes that cell more likely to fire. That’s why…
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Why a sudden alarm can jolt your heart
The sudden sound can make your brain treat the moment like a threat and release adrenaline. Your heart beats faster and your blood pressure rises to get your…
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In one wheat-sensitivity trial, the suspect was not gluten
Researchers separately tested gluten, a placebo, and fructans—carbohydrates also found in wheat—in people reporting non-celiac gluten sensitivity. Fructans…
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Why sushi rice is sweeter than you think
Vinegar and sugar are mixed into sushi rice after it’s cooked, so the grains carry a sweet-tart seasoning that plain rice doesn’t. The sugar can be easy to…
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Crown functionally serves as the only visible tooth part
What you see when you smile is the crown, the visible part above the gumline. Beneath it, the roots hold the tooth in place, so most of a tooth’s structure…
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Headbanging has produced a documented brain injury
A medical case report described a man who developed a subdural hematoma after headbanging at a Motörhead concert. That is bleeding between the brain and its…
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Human genome contains roughly twenty thousand unique genes
Humans and microscopic roundworms have roughly similar numbers of protein-coding genes: about 20,000. The surprising part is what that number does not tell…
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Why exercise keeps burning energy after you stop
After intense exercise, your body keeps using extra oxygen as it restores itself from the effort. It replenishes energy stores and handles other recovery…
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Why artificial sweeteners may trigger insulin
Insulin helps manage sugar in the blood, and in some situations the body may release a little in anticipation after sensing sweetness. The surprising part is…
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Your bladder holds less than you think
Your bladder holds roughly a pint, but it doesn’t wait until it’s full to speak up. Nerves in its wall keep sending updates as it stretches, so urgency can…
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Much of the brain's dry weight is fat doing a job
Remove the water from the calculation and lipids account for roughly 60% of brain mass. They help build cell membranes and myelin, the insulating material…
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How tight ponytails can damage your hair
A tight ponytail keeps pulling on the same follicles along the hairline. Repeated tension can injure those follicles and lead to hair loss where the hair is…
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How bats carry dangerous viruses without getting sick
Some bats can host viruses without showing obvious signs of illness because their immune responses can control infection without eliminating every virus. A…
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Even mild dehydration can affect your brain
Fluid loss can bring thirst, fatigue, and changes in how you feel or concentrate. Researchers measure dehydration against body mass, and studies do not all…
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Your head holds a tiny forest of hairs
A head has about 100,000 hairs, and many hairs naturally shed over time. Hair that comes loose during a shower can gather in one visible clump, so seeing 50…
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Your pillow can look clean and still need washing
A pillowcase collects skin oils, sweat, and shed skin while you sleep. Much of that buildup is invisible, so a fresh-looking surface tells you little about…
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Why you can wake up inside another dream
A false awakening is a dream that convincingly imitates waking up, often including your bedroom or morning routine. The experience can repeat without a real…
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Agave syrup is not as healthy as it sounds
Agave syrup may sound healthier because it is plant-derived, but much of its sweetness comes from fructose. It can contain a higher proportion of fructose…
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Why open-plan offices spread more than ideas
A cough or conversation can send respiratory particles into the shared air. Open layouts let nearby coworkers share that air more easily, giving a virus more…
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Resistance squeezers were simply pieces of bent metal tubing
The bent steel flexed when you pushed or pulled it, creating resistance without a motor or weights. But a gadget you could use on the couch still asked you to…
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Large intestine effectively extracts water from solid waste
As digested material passes through the large intestine, the gut wall absorbs water from it. Less water remains in the waste, so it becomes more solid and…
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SRY gene directly determines physical sex
When the SRY gene is active in an embryo, it starts a chain of developmental signals that typically leads to testes forming. It is a trigger in a larger…
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Dog ownership correlates with lower mortality
Dogs need regular walks, and that routine can get owners moving too. More everyday activity is one possible reason dog ownership is associated with lower…
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