26Teratomas: Tumors with Shocking Capabilities
Some cancer tumors, called teratomas, can actually grow hair, teeth, bones, and even eyes, but not a heart or brain. These strange growths are like mini-monsters within our own bodies, sprouting human-like features in unexpected places. And the weirdness doesn't stop there - some teratomas have even been found to contain functioning vocal cords and have made noises while still inside the body!
27. The cause of period cramps is the uterus suffocating itself. During a period, the uterus contracts to shed its lining, and sometimes the contractions are so strong that they squeeze the blood vessels, cutting off the supply of oxygen and causing pain. This process also increases your production of a hormone called prostaglandins, which encourages even more contractions of the uterus, creating a vicious cycle of pain.
28. Newborn babies, both male and female, can sometimes produce milk, known as "witch's milk," due to hormonal influence from their mother shortly after they are born. This occurs because the mother's hormones cross over to the baby, causing the baby's mammary glands to secrete small amounts of milk. This phenomenon typically lasts for a few days to a couple of weeks, and is harmless.
29. A female baby is born with all the eggs she will ever have, and the egg cell that made her was inside her grandmother before her mother was born. This means that the egg that eventually developed into you was present in two generations before you were born!
30. Our brain is capable of filtering out information and making assumptions based on extrapolation, known as proprioception. This allows us to estimate distances and understand the positioning of our limbs, enabling us to perform actions such as touching our nose with our finger even with our eyes closed. Strokes that affect this part of the brain can result in dysmetria, or difficulty measuring distances. Proprioception can also vary between individuals, which can impact their ability to perform tasks such as driving. Childhood activities like climbing, swinging, spinning, and falling down can help develop physical literacy and improve proprioception.
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31Green Bones from Acne Meds
The prescription acne medication Minocycline can turn bones green and has been known to also discolor wisdom tooth roots. This dark green pigment is due to the medication's incorporation into bone, similar to bisphosphonates. Although rare, green discoloration has also been documented in the lower extremities and in the foot and ankle, but it is considered benign when resulting from tetracycline therapy such as Minocycline.
32. Your brain can play tricks on you, making you feel referred pain from your organs in unexpected places! For example, a painful pancreas can present as pain in your flank or back; a heart attack can feel like jaw or shoulder pain; a kidney stone can feel like testicle pain; and even shoulder pain can be a sign of uterine cramping or an ectopic pregnancy.
33. Our tongues and lips have an incredible density of nerves, giving them remarkable tactile capabilities. In fact, looking at an object can make us vividly imagine what it would feel like to lick or touch it with our lips. This is why babies put everything in their mouths and get important stimulation from this act. While we eventually stop this behavior as we get older, it's still a strange and fascinating aspect of our anatomy.
34. An unexplainable "sense of impending doom" can be a symptom of life-threatening medical emergencies like anaphylaxis, a heart attack, a blood transfusion with the wrong blood type, pancreatic cancer, and internal bleeding. In some cases, it can even present before physical symptoms are detectable. Some EMTs are trained to take people seriously when they report feeling like they're "going to die," regardless of their appearance.
35. Our own immune system, meant to protect us, can kill us faster than the fastest-killing virus, Ebola (4 days). In just 15 minutes, an allergen encountered for the first time can trigger a severe immune response, causing death. And that's not all; our immune system can even turn on our own body, causing autoimmune diseases and destroying vital organs such as the pancreas, skin, and joints. Talk about a rogue defender!
