bodily feats library

Bodily Feats are extraordinary human phenomena or achievements. Topics include firewalking, supernumerary body parts, and unusual facts about the human body.

How Sword Swallowing Works

Featured Article: How Sword Swallowing Works

Sword swallowing is an extremely dangerous trick that doesn't involve illusions. How can it be real? We'll show you -- with explanations and diagrams of the interactions between swords and the upper GI tract. But don't try this at home! See more »

Could I lose weight by getting my ear stapled?

Could I lose weight by getting my ear stapled?

Some call it body piercing. Some call it acupuncture. Some call it absurd. But could a piercing help you lose weight?

See more »
How can adrenaline help you lift a 3,500-pound car?

How can adrenaline help you lift a 3,500-pound car?

How can an ordinary person lift a 3,500-pound car? Find out what gives people strength in times of emergency.

See more »
How do broken bones heal?

How do broken bones heal?

Unfortunately for him, Humpty Dumpty was not blessed with the human skeletal system. Why can your skeleton do what all the king's horses and all the king's men can't?

See more »
How Fire Breathing Works

How Fire Breathing Works

Fire breathing is one of the most dangerous performance arts out there. To get an inside look at how fire breathing works, HowStuffWorks interviewed two fire breathers, including Mike Garner -- a juggler and vaudevillian performer who started breathing fire in 1993.

See more »
How Firewalking Works

How Firewalking Works

Ever seen anyone putting on a show of walking barefoot across a bed of hot coals. Are they for real, or is it a trick? They are, in fact, walking barefoot on red-hot, glowing coals. Find out how it's done.

See more »
How Sword Swallowing Works

How Sword Swallowing Works

Sword swallowing is an extremely dangerous trick that doesn't involve illusions. How can it be real? We'll show you -- with explanations and diagrams of the interactions between swords and the upper GI tract. But don't try this at home!

See more »
How the Human Blockhead Works

How the Human Blockhead Works

The human blockhead act involves a performer hammering a nail into their nostril. Learn about the human blockhead and how the human blockhead avoids injury.

See more »
How the Obesity Paradox Works

How the Obesity Paradox Works

About 65 percent of Americans are either obese or overweight, and the CDC has classified obesity as an epidemic, yet recent studies have shown that obese people with chronic diseases have a better chance of survival than normal-weight individuals do. What gives?

See more »
What are the world's rarest diseases?

What are the world's rarest diseases?

What if you were the only person in the world with a disease, and scientists used your name to classify it? How would doctors know what was wrong?

See more »
What if people had exoskeletons?

What if people had exoskeletons?

Exoskeletons normally cover insects, not humans. Why would a human ever want one? Is the possibility of an exoskeleton for humans just around the corner?

See more »
What if people had gills?

What if people had gills?

In the movie "WaterWorld," Kevin Costner's character has a mutation that gives him gills behind the ears. Could a mutation allow people to swim in the water just like fish --without having to use any sort of scuba equipment?

See more »
Why can't you say "toy boat" three times fast?

Why can't you say "toy boat" three times fast?

Try saying "toy boat" three times fast. By the time you're done, the words will be all distorted. It's a classic tongue twister, but is it your tongue or your brain that's really tangled up?

See more »
10 Most Dangerous Jobs in America

10 Most Dangerous Jobs in America

Next time you're bored at work, remember you could be doing a job that is life-threatening. Learn about the 10 most dangerous jobs in America, including being a logger, roofer, or farmer.

See more »
16 Unusual Facts About the Human Body

16 Unusual Facts About the Human Body

Our list of 16 unusual facts about the human body will both shock and enlighten. Did you know that everyone has a unique tongue print or that we shed skin cells the same way a dog sheds hair?

See more »
How can someone lie on a bed of nails without getting hurt?

How can someone lie on a bed of nails without getting hurt?

In circuses, sideshows and other venues, lying on a bed of nails is an expression of a performer's stamina, bravery and imperviousness to pain. In reality, it's a matter of pressure transference and has been practiced for years around the world.

See more »

13 People with Extra Body Parts

Extra body parts can occur more often than people might think. Doctors call the extra appendages "supernumerary" body parts and these can be found on some famous people in history. Find out more about 13 people who were born with an extra body part.

See more »

How can someone walk across broken glass without getting hurt?

A magician or street performer walking barefooted across broken glass is a dramatic spectacle. Find out how people can walk across glass without hurting themselves.

See more »

If I couldn't get rid of gas in any way, would I explode?

People expel gas by either burping or flatulating. Although it's an embarrassing thing to have happen, it's also a necessity. But what would happen if you just couldn't pass the gas?

See more »

videos: human nature