THE DAILY ASTRONOMER
November 20, 2009
Quiz: The Body Universe
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You are a Universe in and of yourself.
This statement is not merely a whimsical notion designed for ego-inflation. Your mind is a Universe of creative ideas, complex information, insightful perceptions, along with -sometimes- groundless misgivings, irrational fears, and indefensible fantasies (the best part). This interplay of mind and imagination is what makes the human mind so astonishing.
Your body is a Universe, as well, and quite an efficient one at that. For instance, have a good friend with a secret grudge drive a tack into your toe and almost instantly you feel the pain. A miraculous nervous system relays information from the injury point to the mind receptors within a fraction of a second. Add to this the restless heart (this time not a romantic metaphor), unceasing lungs, rigid bones, flexing muscles, and the jungle of veins, arteries and capillaries, to mention only a few.
The body is a cyclone of activity, all governed by the same brain that simultaneously issues a torrent of thoughts and words. This week, we celebrate the Body Universe in the best way possible: with a quiz. We’ll do something with astronomy -if we feel like it- next week. Oh, wait! Next week is Thanksgiving Week. Hmmm….
Anyway, back to the body:
1. The human body is estimated to contain approximately __________________ miles of blood vessels.
a. 190
b. 1000
c. 8,000
d. 20,000
e. none of the above
2. The strongest muscle in the human body is the _____________
a. tricep
b. femur
c. tongue
d. quadricep
e. heart
3. Approximately how many bacteria live within a single square inch of human skin?
a. Yuck! None, if you wash regularly
b. 200,000
c. 1 million!
d. 32 million!
e. none of the above
4. Human beings and __________ are the only animals to produce “emotional” tears, (i.e. tears shed because of emotional trauma, such as sorrow, grief, or being a Patriots fan.)
a. Dogs
b. Blue whales
c. Geckos
d. Frogs
e. Actually, humans beings are the ONLY animal that produces emotional tears.
5. If you are worried about having bad dreams, what should you do before you go to sleep to reduce the probability of having nightmares?
a. Switch off NBC before the Jay Leno show is broadcast
b. Turn up the heat
c. Sleep with only one pillow under your head
d. Have a fan gently blowing on your face
e. Tell John Madden to go sleep on the couch
6. Three hundred million ___________ _____________ every minute in the human body.
a. bone cells; are produced
b. oxygen molecules; are inhaled
c. cells; die
d. dust grains; are ingested
7. What is the “philtrum?”
a. The vertical line dividing the knuckle into two equal halves
b. The area between the eyebrows.
c. The name of the second smallest toe
d. The indentation between the nose and the upper lip
8. The heart beats how many times per day, on average?
a. 10,000
b. 25,000
c. 50,000
d. 100,000
d. 180,000
ANSWERS
1. e. none of the above
The adult human body contains 60,000 miles of blood vessels. If the vessels were all extracted (ouch) and laid end to end, they would wrap around Earth’s equator 2 1/2 times!
2. c. tongue
When measured in proportion to its size, the human tongue is the body’s strongest muscle.
3. d. 32 million!
This fact often sends people running frantically to their soap dispensers. However, no need for alarm. Most of these bacteria are harmless. Some are even beneficial.
4, e. Actually, humans beings are the ONLY animal that produces emotional tears.
Animals feel pain, and experience emotions, of course. However, we humans are the only animals in the world that cry. It’s the price we pay for having this enviable brain-body ratio.
5. b. Turn up the heat
Dream researchers are not sure why this should be the case, but it seems that people who sleep in cold rooms tend to have more bad dreams. So, to avoid the Freddie Kruegers and the nocturnal brain nasties, turn up the heat or cover yourself in heavy blankets and comforters.
[This answer is sponsored by Cuddledown. www.cuddledown.com; your local luxury bedding supplier.]
6. c. cells; die
Since the human body contains more than 10 trillion cells, this 300 million cell loss per minute is not as dire as it might seem. Over the course of a human lifetime, the body regenerates hundreds of billions of cells.
7. d. The indentation between the nose and the upper lip
Everything has a name!
8. d. 100,000
During the day, the heart pumps the equivalent of 2000 gallons of blood!
RATINGS
8 CORRECT: BODY GURU
5 – 7 CORRECT: BODY PILLOW FOR THE GURU TO SIT ON
1 – 4 CORRECT: BODY OF ROCK FOR THE BODY PILLOW UPON WHICH THE GURU SITS
0 CORRECT: I’M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHICH OF THE ABOVE THREE IS THE BEST OPTION!
