HowStuffWorks Newsletter
The human body is an amazing structure made up of many fascinating parts and systems. Learn about the human body and how its systems work together.
Topics to Explore:
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?
The nervous system is a complex network of specialized tissues that regulates thoughts, emotions, actions, sensations, and body functions. It has two major divisions: the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system.
The endocrine system comprises a number of glands that produce hormones with a varied array of vital functions. Hormones control or regulate the development or function of structures throughout the body.
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Healthy digestion involves the whole body. Learn about the processes and body parts that go into digestion.
The heart is one of the strongest muscles in the body. Learn about this extremely vital part of the body.
Muscles are one of those things that most of us take completely for granted, but they're the body's engine. Without our muscles, we couldn't walk or talk -- and our blood would stop flowing.
When you donate blood, your blood type is an important factor in how useful your donation may be. Just what are blood types?
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Having a limb fall asleep can range from annoying to downright painful. See what's going on inside your arm or leg when it falls asleep.
The kidneys spend 24 hours a day, seven days a week filtering gallons and gallons of blood. But that's not all these little bean-shaped organs accomplish in a day.
You couldn't breathe without your lungs and you do it without even thinking about it. So, how do your lungs manage this amazing feat?
Ever wonder how your stomach acid attacks the food inside it but not the stomach itself?
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Millions of people have refractive vision problems -- when the eyes get blurry or can't focus on an object. Learn about four major types of refractive vision problems.
If you've ever laced your fingers together, turned your palms away from you, bent your fingers back and heard a loud crack or pop, you know what knuckle-popping sounds like. So, what would happen if you popped your knuckles all the time?
We all know 20/20 vision is a good thing, but just what do those numbers mean?
Lymph is a commonly-used medical term, but what's it mean exactly?
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Your appendix is really a pretty mysterious organ. Find out why you have an organ that's not necessary to your survival.
Your ears are very sensitive to the air or water pressure around them. But just what happens when you dive into that pool?
You may never have thought about it (unless your child asks), but boogers are sticky for a perfectly logical scientific reason.
You breath all day, every day. How much oxygen does this process consume?
By Sherry Kahn
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When you cut yourself accidentally, do you ever wonder what makes up this thing we call blood? It's pretty amazing stuff, considering how it wards off infections while supplying nutrients to every cell in the human body.
The heart is a vital organ that basically serves as a pump. Learn about heart chambers and valves, blood flow, the heart's electrical system and blood supply. Read more about how this amazing organ works.
There are millions of bacteria, microbes, viruses, toxins and parasites that want to invade your body. And they'd happily do it, too -- if it weren't for your immune system.