ADVERTISEMENT

The human body is one of the most fascinating things on Planet Earth. Paradoxically, it’s at once extremely fragile and tougher than you think, adapting very quickly, and designed to bounce back even after serious injuries. Some people move beyond what most of us think our bodies are capable of doing, setting new athletic achievements—David Goggins alone has shown that people can endure far more than they give themselves credit for.

However, it isn’t all gold medals and victory parties. There are some truly disturbing and even creepy things about the human body that would sound like science fiction if we didn’t know better. Folks from the r/AskReddit online community shared the weirdest facts about human biology they know, and we’re sharing the most interesting ones with you.

Scroll down if you want to learn something new. Hopefully, you’ll still be able to sleep at night knowing some of these. Got any unusual facts about our bodies to share with all the other Pandas? We’ll be waiting to read all about it in the comment section.

Bored Panda reached out to health and fitness coach Anna Armagno Toussaint to have a chat about how much exercise and movement people should strive to get every day, as well as what people's biggest diet mistakes are. (Spoiler warning: many of us are eating an excessive amount of sugar.) We also got in touch with the author of the thread, redditor u/BathNo7713, to get their perspective as well. You'll find Anna and the redditor's answers to our questions below.

This post may include affiliate links.

#1

30 Of The Most Disturbing Things About Human Bodies That Might Freak You Out The brain will protect itself even if it means misery to you or death.

Inhaling smoke in the middle of a burning house? Brain will make you stop breathing and pass out.

Stuck in the middle of a cold place? You will fall asleep to conserve energy and never wake up again.

Does your brain need more oxygen? You faint in the middle of a busy road.

Had your leg torn off by a bear? Here's adrenaline so you can save your brain even if there's a huge risk of infection or further injury.

Is your brain experiencing too much stress? It will make you drink alcohol or resort to drugs.

You and your brain work together most of the time, but when push comes to shove, you are sacrificed.

anima99 Report

Final score:
178points
Add photo comments
POST
mndm-synth avatar
Monday
Monday
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I mean...you ARE your brain. That's the part of you that makes you sentient. Take out your brain and your body is just a bony meatsack.

Vote comment up
170
170points
Vote comment down
reply
View More Replies... View more commentsArrow down menu

Health and fitness coach Anna told Bored Panda that she leans more towards believing that the human body is resilient. She opened up to us that she has an autoimmune disease and does her best to see things in a positive light. She knows that things could be much worse off.

ADVERTISEMENT

When it comes to eating properly, balance is key. "I think people don't eat enough balanced meals. I have been following a great eating guide that encourages balanced meals but is also really flexible so you are never cutting anything out completely. We need more balance," the coach stressed that it's vital for health.

"I do think, at least in America, that we definitely need to cut back on sugar though. It definitely affects my autoimmune issues and exacerbates conditions of friends as well. It feeds cancer. All things are ok in moderation but we don't need to be adding as much sugar to yogurt as a serving of ice cream, you know?" she pointed out that limiting the intake of sugar may be a very positive step for many people.
#2

30 Of The Most Disturbing Things About Human Bodies That Might Freak You Out I noticed this after my abdominal surgery. When I turned over in bed my guts seemed to fall from one side to the other. Mentioned to my doc and she confirmed it was my bowels rearranging themselves.

squatter_ Report

Final score:
153points
Add photo comments
POST
View More Replies... View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
#3

30 Of The Most Disturbing Things About Human Bodies That Might Freak You Out Period cramps are essentially your womb suffocating itself.

To get the uterine lining out of your womb during your period, your uterus has to contract. Sometimes, when the contractions are stronger, your womb squeezes its blood vessels so tight that oxygen can't reach them, which sends pain signals to your brain (ouch). But wait, there's more – this process increases your production of chemicals called prostaglandins, which encourage more contractions of the uterus. There really is no mercy.

spookypinkchic Report

Final score:
148points
Add photo comments
POST
mndm-synth avatar
Monday
Monday
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Womb: I got everything nice and ready for the baby and you had the audacity to NOT get pregnant? I'll show you!

Vote comment up
236
236points
Vote comment down
reply
View More Replies... View more commentsArrow down menu

Bored Panda wanted to get a better understanding of how much each of us should strive to exercise and move every day. Coach Anna told us that "any!" movement is better than none.

"Technically, we should aim for 30 minutes a day of movement, but if all you can do is walk around the block, start there," she said that we shouldn't feel bad about starting small and going from there. Any exercise that you can realistically get done is far better than sitting on the couch, grumpy that you don't have the time for the workout you'd ideally like to do.

ADVERTISEMENT

"You don't have to run a marathon or bench press your wife, but you can certainly get some movement in. Start where you can and don't give up," the coach shared some encouraging words with Bored Panda.
#4

30 Of The Most Disturbing Things About Human Bodies That Might Freak You Out You develop cancerous cells every day. But your immune system deals with it.

EDIT: Usually.

Ordell9 Report

Final score:
147points
Add photo comments
POST
ylva-edqvist avatar
(T)reacherou(S)
(T)reacherou(S)
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Didn't want to know that. (Honestly think i'm gonna regret clicking on this trend at all)

Vote comment up
110
110points
Vote comment down
reply
View More Replies... View more commentsArrow down menu
#5

30 Of The Most Disturbing Things About Human Bodies That Might Freak You Out A third to a half of all fertilized ovum do not result in a viable pregnancy. They are expelled as a “heavy period” instead. Most women don’t even realize that they miscarried.

calladus Report

Final score:
147points
Add photo comments
POST
saragregory0508 avatar
NsG
NsG
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Do NOT let the wankjobs in the Republican party know this! They'll try and legislate against having periods entirely

Vote comment up
344
344points
Vote comment down
reply
View More Replies... View more commentsArrow down menu
#6

30 Of The Most Disturbing Things About Human Bodies That Might Freak You Out Humans are deuterostomes. Meaning as embryos the first thing to develop is an opening that will eventually become the a**s. So at one point you were nothing but an a*****e

KingZaneTheStrange , suparna sinha Report

Final score:
139points
Add photo comments
POST
View More Replies... View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT

Redditor u/BathNo7713 told Bored Panda that they posed the question to the r/AskReddit community out of general curiosity. "I wanted to know more and wanted other people who read the post to know more too," they told us that their main goals were curiosity and education.

The author of the thread personally believes that the human body is very fragile. In their opinion, the biggest weakness that people have is "the fact that our own immune system can make us blind." Meanwhile, the biggest strength is that "we mostly rely on instinct a way of knowing something without learning it."

The redditor believes that there might not be enough attention given to science and psychology at schools, as many of the facts shared in the thread weren't taught to students.

According to Ruslan Medzhitov, the David W. Wallace Professor of Immunobiology and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator at Yale, different tissues and organs have different degrees of resilience.

“What makes us really sick, and what can kill an organism, animal, or human, is when the most vulnerable aspect of our physiology—the organs or tissues or processes that have least resilience—are affected enough to push them over the edge,” he explains.

ADVERTISEMENT

One area of our bodies that is extremely sensitive is the brain. Our skulls protect it from hard blows; meanwhile, our internal biology is structured in such a way that it gets supplied with glucose and oxygen at the expense of other tissues. In short, the brain’s a priority for our bodies.

“These mechanisms ultimately increase the resilience of the entire organism because they protect the weakest links in the system,” Medzhitov noted.
#7

if you lose the pinky of your hand, you'll lose the 50% strength of your hand.

cutebabi21 Report

Final score:
137points
Add photo comments
POST
keith-johnson avatar
KJ
KJ
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So if I start collecting pinkies I get 50% stronger per pinky, useful knowledge.

Vote comment up
188
188points
Vote comment down
reply
View More Replies... View more commentsArrow down menu
#8

30 Of The Most Disturbing Things About Human Bodies That Might Freak You Out You have a spine and support system meant for traveling on four legs.

Basically, we've all got bad backs.

Beowulf33232 , Adrian "Rosco" Stef Report

Final score:
134points
Add photo comments
POST
View More Replies... View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
#9

30 Of The Most Disturbing Things About Human Bodies That Might Freak You Out An estimated 60% of cancers arise from non-modifiable risk factors. In other words, they are not due to any lifestyle choices and they are not preventable.

StrebLab , National Cancer Institute Report

Final score:
129points
Add photo comments
POST
mndm-synth avatar
Monday
Monday
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I dunno man, dying seems like a pretty sure-fire way to avoid getting cancer.

Vote comment up
104
104points
Vote comment down
reply
View More Replies... View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT

It’s important to be curious in life, but it’s also vital that you remain at least slightly skeptical of what you read online. The best approach is to do at least a bit of your own research and cross-check information from multiple reliable sources. Especially if you stumble upon an outlandish fact, whether about the human body or anything else.

During an earlier interview with Bored Panda, media expert Mike Sington shared some red flags to look out for that indicate a claim or fact might be fake.

"Red flags to watch out for that a claim may be fake: it's outlandish, it's too good to be true, you haven't seen the claim anywhere else, you've never heard the source, the source isn't reputable, you can't find two other sources making the same claim, your gut tells you, 'this can't be true,'" the expert stressed that we shouldn’t accept things blindly.
#10

Wounds and bone breaks are actively held together by your body: more specifically, the collagen it produces that acts like glue. If you don't eat enough vitamin C and get scurvy, you won't produce enough collagen—old wounds will reopen and long-healed bones could break apart again.

Collagen also holds your teeth in, so they loosen and can fall out.

Eat some fruit, folks. Don't push that parsley to the side of your plate.

sambeau Report

Final score:
118points
Add photo comments
POST
rchargel avatar
RafCo
RafCo
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I learned once the reason that British folk are called "Limeys" by Americans is that in Victorian days, the English Navy had an enforced consumption of lime juice for their sailors, as a way of preventing scurvy.

Vote comment up
69
69points
Vote comment down
reply
View More Replies... View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
#11

30 Of The Most Disturbing Things About Human Bodies That Might Freak You Out Pregnant women if injured, the stem cells from the womb will go to damaged organs and rebuild them to protect the baby.

MNPhatts , freestocks Report

Final score:
116points
Add photo comments
POST
isabella avatar
Isabella
Isabella
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I am not hunting grammar errors, but the way this sentence is formulated, it kills my ears, even though I am not a native English speaker.😟

Vote comment up
156
156points
Vote comment down
reply
View More Replies... View more commentsArrow down menu
#12

30 Of The Most Disturbing Things About Human Bodies That Might Freak You Out A female is born with every egg they'll ever release from the ovaries. Therefore, a pregnant woman who is carrying a female child is also carrying the eggs of her grandchildren.

HaunSolo24 Report

Final score:
116points
Add photo comments
POST
kathrynhatfield avatar
Hedgeh og
Hedgeh og
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Not if her daughter chooses to remain child-free, which is also a perfectly valid choice ✨

Vote comment up
126
126points
Vote comment down
reply
View More Replies... View more commentsArrow down menu

"The rise of social media has decreased the reliability of information because misinformation can spread so quickly before it can be corrected," Mike warned. He advises starting off with a simple Google search to double-check a fact’s reliability.

"Do this and think before reposting or you may be contributing to the problem. Amplification doesn’t make a claim true or accurate," he noted.
#13

30 Of The Most Disturbing Things About Human Bodies That Might Freak You Out You can die of a broken heart. you can have your heart broken and become ill to where your body goes into survival mode and can shut down major functions.

WaywardRush169 , camilo jimenez Report

Final score:
115points
Add photo comments
POST
harri_ellis avatar
HarriMissesScotland
HarriMissesScotland
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Today I learned that the husband of Irma Garcia, one of the teachers killed in Uvalde, TX, died at home after planning his wife's funeral. Devastating in every way.

Vote comment up
84
84points
Vote comment down
reply
View More Replies... View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
#14

When we defibrillate someone who’s in an unsuitable rhythm, we’re basically just shutting off their heart and hoping it will turn back on by itself in a normal pattern. That’s why you don’t shock asystole, there’s nothing to turn off. Defibrillation is like hitting the reboot switch in the computer, hopefully the problem will solve itself when you turn it off and it’ll return to normal function

butt3ryt0ast Report

Final score:
113points
Add photo comments
POST
View More Replies... View more commentsArrow down menu
#15

30 Of The Most Disturbing Things About Human Bodies That Might Freak You Out There are a vast number of ways that your body can malfunction and kill you with little or no warning. An aneurysm can go undetected until it bursts and kills you. Getting hit in the chest just the right way can stop your heart. You can encounter an allergen that never previously provoked an immune response that freaks out your body so badly that you die.

You literally just never know if your body will just....die.

Unsolicited_Spiders , Gioele Fazzeri Report

Final score:
107points
Add photo comments
POST
mndm-synth avatar
Monday
Monday
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

and on the other side of the spectrum you have that lady that fell from a plane still in her seat, landed in the jungle and walked out.

Vote comment up
191
191points
Vote comment down
reply
View More Replies... View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT

"Our attention spans have been reduced to mere seconds at a time because that’s the way information and entertainment is fed to us now. People get tiny bite-sized bits of news by scrolling a Twitter feed, they entertain themselves by scrolling quickly through Instagram and TikTok. It’s creating a habit that doesn’t have to be," Mike said that even though our attention spans are shorter than ever, we can fight back against this.

"The good news is there’s plenty of long-form entertainment and news available, you just have to seek it out. I believe the benefit is worth it. I’ve discovered it improves your ability to focus, it’s more calming, you retain more information, and it gives you a more balanced and nuanced view of the world."
#16

30 Of The Most Disturbing Things About Human Bodies That Might Freak You Out If your brainstem (the part of the brain that mediates most motor control for all of the body) is damaged, you can get "locked-in" syndrome. That means you're fully conscious and aware of your surroundings but unable to move or speak. The only muscles that remain unaffected in most people are the muscles that move they eyes and the eyelids. You're essentially trapped within your own body with your only way of communication being blinking or moving your eyes

It can be caused by toxins, blockage of the basilar artery which is the main artery of the brainstem, or other brainstem damage

4oodler Report

Final score:
104points
Add photo comments
POST
View More Replies... View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
See Also on Bored Panda
#17

Your body replaces cells as they mutate or die. However, much like a photocopy of a photocopy, the replacements are a little less perfect each time. Around the age of 28, you are no longer replacing cells effectively.

What that means is after the age of 28, approximately, you are actively in the process of dying because your cells are being destroyed faster than they can be replaced and the replacements are more and more imperfect each time.

Terrami Report

Final score:
102points
Add photo comments
POST
View More Replies... View more commentsArrow down menu
#18

30 Of The Most Disturbing Things About Human Bodies That Might Freak You Out Well, just this week there was a woman(local) in her late twenties who died of a toothache.

She had posted on FB about needing a dentist over the weekend and decided to wait till Monday, Sunday morning she was gone. The infection went to her brain.

hopingtosurvive2020 Report

Final score:
101points
Add photo comments
POST
lizphone70 avatar
Libby Tailor
Libby Tailor
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My dentist once told me that infection from tooth could go two way: up to the brain or down to the lungs.

Vote comment up
99
99points
Vote comment down
reply
View More Replies... View more commentsArrow down menu
#19

30 Of The Most Disturbing Things About Human Bodies That Might Freak You Out Stomach acid is very powerful, it would burn right though us if we didn’t secrete mucus every few hours.

finester39 Report

Final score:
100points
Add photo comments
POST
View More Replies... View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
See Also on Bored Panda
#20

30 Of The Most Disturbing Things About Human Bodies That Might Freak You Out The head can be twisted around about three and a half times before coming off.

Afraid_Department_51 Report

Final score:
99points
Add photo comments
POST
mndm-synth avatar
Monday
Monday
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I want to know how this was discovered. Did they do the math or were heads twisted?

Vote comment up
195
195points
Vote comment down
reply
View More Replies... View more commentsArrow down menu
#21

People that have sever epilepsy can get a procedure done to cut the corpus callosum which connects the two sides of the brain, and allows them to talk to each other. Once this happens your image identification side can’t talk to your words side, and causes issues if you aren’t able to look at an item with both eyes. Otherwise patients act mostly the same.

So if you were asked to cover you eye that sends info to your language center, and then shown a ball to look at for your object identifying center you wouldn’t be able to tell what it is out loud. Your brain would still be recognizing it, but wouldn’t be able to provide the word for it.

Fortunately it is very rare to get this done these days as medication has become more effective, so this procedure is a last resort sort of thing.

xparapluiex Report

Final score:
98points
Add photo comments
POST
View More Replies... View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
See Also on Bored Panda
#22

No one knows why we have to sleep. We have theories. But no universally agreed upon or accepted one. The reason we spend a third of our lives incapacitated and unaware is still a mystery.

really_robot Report

Final score:
98points
Add photo comments
POST
mndm-synth avatar
Monday
Monday
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We do know that we go crazy and die without sleep though!

Vote comment up
141
141points
Vote comment down
reply
View More Replies... View more commentsArrow down menu
#23

30 Of The Most Disturbing Things About Human Bodies That Might Freak You Out There’s enough copper in your body to make a pair of headphones.

Ghost_Creation_ Report

Final score:
97points
Add photo comments
POST
View More Replies... View more commentsArrow down menu
#24

Allergies and intolerances can just come and go as they please with no explanation
Was lactose intolerant from age 13 to 22.

ace_is_space Report

Final score:
93points
Add photo comments
POST
mofirst avatar
Monika Lachova
Monika Lachova
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

intolerances are linked to the status of gut mucus cells. If they're somehow damaged it can result in this (very simlified explanation tho). Also had period of lactose intolerance once.

Vote comment up
46
46points
Vote comment down
reply
View More Replies... View more commentsArrow down menu
#25

30 Of The Most Disturbing Things About Human Bodies That Might Freak You Out Scientists once took a swab of the inside of an American man’s belly button to observe the bacteria that lived there.

They found bacteria previously only known to exist in Japan. The man had never traveled outside of the U.S.

So you never know what other country’s bacteria you’re carrying in your belly button.

Soggy_Willingness_65 Report

Final score:
88points
Add photo comments
POST
jessicacifelli22 avatar
Jessica Cifelli
Jessica Cifelli
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Did he wear clothing made in Japan? Or maybe used medicines made in Japan?

Vote comment up
51
51points
Vote comment down
reply
View More Replies... View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
See Also on Bored Panda
#26

30 Of The Most Disturbing Things About Human Bodies That Might Freak You Out The brain chemistry is stable enough to last thousands of years if not diseased, it's the rest of the body that kills us.

Diamond-Fist , Joel Ambass Report

Final score:
87points
Add photo comments
POST
saderman avatar
Shelli Aderman
Shelli Aderman
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The meat puppet part of us… makes sense why some folks opt for cryogenic burial. 🤨

Vote comment up
50
50points
Vote comment down
reply
View More Replies... View more commentsArrow down menu
#27

30 Of The Most Disturbing Things About Human Bodies That Might Freak You Out It is always making disgusting body noises. The only reason you are not aware of it is because the ambient noise kind of drowns it out because your ears focus on it.

If you go to one of those super-silent rooms that absorb all sorts of sounds, it is a really weird way to reacquaint yourself with your body.

Black_Handkerchief Report

Final score:
81points
Add photo comments
POST
View more commentsArrow down menu
#28

30 Of The Most Disturbing Things About Human Bodies That Might Freak You Out It’s possible to develop tumors with hair, teeth, and even eyes. They are called teratomas.

Color_Wasted Report

Final score:
80points
Add photo comments
POST
View More Replies... View more commentsArrow down menu
#29

30 Of The Most Disturbing Things About Human Bodies That Might Freak You Out Your fingers and toes have no muscles. All the muscles that control them via tendons are in your forearms/hands and lower legs/feet. Your fingers are like puppets on strings. Sweet dreams.

*Fixed, yes forgot about the muscles in palms/feet. No actual muscles inside the fingers/toes themselves though.

deepsoul13 Report

Final score:
79points
Add photo comments
POST
carpethoodie avatar
BorrowedThoughts
BorrowedThoughts
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

otherwise we would all have really chunky fingers from all the muscle

Vote comment up
39
39points
Vote comment down
reply
View More Replies... View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
See Also on Bored Panda
#30

30 Of The Most Disturbing Things About Human Bodies That Might Freak You Out Your butthole and your mouth originate from the same cell grouping during development, but the butthole cells form first, then the mouth cells from them. That means your mouth is from your a*s.

PucWalker Report

Final score:
76points
Add photo comments
POST
View More Replies... View more commentsArrow down menu

Note: this post originally had 85 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.

Anyone can write on Bored Panda. Start writing!

Follow Bored Panda on Google News!