Human Body
Exploring "Why" questions about Human Body
481 articles
Why is the sound of someone snoring so annoying when we’re trying to sleep?
I imagine it's at least partly because the sound is irregular. Traffic, air conditioners, and rain are very rhythmic. Predictable sensory input is input that our brain ignores, which is why you only s
Why have bones evolved to heal so slowly, or why do they heal at all? Wouldn’t any animal with a broken bone likely die in the wild of something before the bone was healed?
Evolution is still limited by physics and chemistry, and each feature is a balancing act with a million other advantages and disadvantages. This is sort of like asking: Why has skin evolved to be so s
Why does it burn if you burp through your nose after drinking something carbonated?
They contain small amounts of carbonic acid and there will be some of this left in the gas that you release. Your nose is far more sensitive to such things than your mouth is, so you feel the acid bur
Why can’t we mix firework colours like we can paint?
Because light doesn't mix the same as paint. To make purple you use metals that burn purple. Adding in magnesium can make it a lighter purple, or adding zinc oxide can make a forboding smokey purple.
Why do floppy disks and SD cards have a mechanical lock switch to block access, when anyone can just flip the switch and access the data inside?
The lock on floppies didn't deny access to the data. It locked out writing over it. It's more a a precaution to keep your data safe from yourself.
Why is it that when i get 8-9 hours of sleep i wake up tired but when i get 3-4 hours i wake up energized?
When we sleep our brain goes through a cycle of activity. This cycle will vary between 80 - 120 minutes and may repeat 4 or 5 times during the night. The "deepest" part of this cycle is called REM (Ra
why do you always get a distinct feeling/smell/ thing when you get struck in the nose or face?
I don't think the exact cause is known, but shocks to the brain - which could come through a blow to your face - can produce these odd (metallic?) taste sensations. They're common in concussions. Pres
Why do we tear up when we yawn
Not 100% sure if this is the correct answer, but the act of yawning presses against the glands which produce tears. These glands are like a sac, so pressing against these sacs make the tear flow regar
Why does everybody get mad at movies shot at 48 fps, but also a video games shot at below 60 fps?
Motion Blur. As movies are filmed, the movement of the actors is recorded as still images. If they're moving fast enough, they blur slightly on the film.
Why are unhealthy foods seemingly always less expensive than healthier alternatives?
Less than 1% of federal subsidies go towards fruits and vegetable. With 63% going to meat and dairy and 20% to grains, which is mostly used to feed livestock. Hence, the true market price of unhealthy