我們的身體就像潘多拉魔盒一樣充滿著秘密，既是統(tǒng)一的有機(jī)整體，各個(gè)器官各自獨(dú)立，又彼此有機(jī)地相互聯(lián)系。日常生活中我們的身體經(jīng)常有一些現(xiàn)象，讓你無(wú)法解釋。今天搜刮到了關(guān)于我們身體的12個(gè)神奇事實(shí)，來(lái)給大家分享。
腳會(huì)一直隨著年齡長(zhǎng)大?
It’s certainly possible: After years of wear and tear, tendons and ligaments in your feet may weaken. This can cause arches to flatten, which means feet get wider and longer. It won’t happen to everyone, though—people who are overweight, who get swollen feet or ankles, or who have certain medical conditions, like diabetes, are more prone. If it does happen, the average gain is about one shoe size by age 70 or 80.
這是有可能的：經(jīng)過(guò)多年的磨損，腳部的肌腱和韌帶會(huì)有損耗。這就會(huì)使得腳底變平，那么腳就更寬更長(zhǎng)了。但不是每個(gè)人都會(huì)這樣，那些很胖、腳或者踝關(guān)節(jié)浮腫，又或有過(guò)某種病癥比如糖尿病的人更容易出現(xiàn)這種情況。一般來(lái)說(shuō)到了70或80歲腳會(huì)大一碼。
What’s with that stomach-in-your-throat feeling on roller coasters?
坐過(guò)山車時(shí)為什么有胃到喉嚨眼的感覺(jué)?
Your insides are actually shifting! When a coaster comes over its crest, slows for a second for added torture, and then plummets downward, the seat belt keeps your rear in place, but some loosely connected internal organs—like your stomach and intestines—get a little “air time.” You’re not damaging your innards by riding even the craziest of coasters (everything returns to its proper place), but your nerves detect the movement, which registers as though your stomach has jumped into your throat.
你的體內(nèi)在翻江倒海!當(dāng)過(guò)山車到了頂端，減速那一秒鐘會(huì)加重體內(nèi)的折磨，隨即驟然落下，座位安全帶能保持你的屁股在原位，但卻無(wú)法照顧到體內(nèi)的器官，比如胃和腸道就會(huì)有點(diǎn)“飄飄蕩”了。其實(shí)玩最瘋狂的過(guò)山車也不會(huì)損壞你的內(nèi)臟(它們最后會(huì)回歸的)，但是你的神經(jīng)能感測(cè)到運(yùn)動(dòng)，就會(huì)讓你覺(jué)得胃都跑到喉嚨眼來(lái)了。
How come women always seem colder than men?
女人為什么總比男人感覺(jué)更怕冷?
The fairer sex has a higher percentage of body fat and conserves more heat around the core. That helps keep vital organs nice and toasty but not the extremities—and when your hands and feet feel cold, so does the rest of your body. Plus, research suggests that women have a lower threshold for cold than men. When exposed to the same freezing temperature, the blood vessels in women’s fingers constrict more than men’s do, which is why they turn white more quickly.
女人體內(nèi)有更高的身體脂肪比例，也會(huì)在體內(nèi)儲(chǔ)存更多的熱量，這能保持核心器官的運(yùn)轉(zhuǎn)，但不包括四肢。如果你的手腳感覺(jué)冰冷，身體的其他部位也是如此。另外，調(diào)查顯示女人寒冷的臨界值比男人低。在相同溫度的嚴(yán)寒環(huán)境之下，女人手指血管的收縮度比男人要大，所以它們會(huì)迅速變白。
Is “old-person smell” real?
老年人的體味是真的么?
Yes. But there’s also a distinctive middle-aged-person smell and a young-person smell, according to a recent study. The research found that older people have a less intense—and more pleasant—scent than the middle-aged folk and young whippersnappers. Not what you expected, right?
是真的，但近期研究表明中年人和年輕人身上的味道也是有區(qū)別的。調(diào)查發(fā)現(xiàn)相對(duì)中年人和青年人來(lái)說(shuō)，老年人的體味不那么強(qiáng)烈，反而相對(duì)溫和。和你想的不一樣吧?
Why does room-temperature coffee taste so bad?
常溫的咖啡為何這么難喝?
The temperature affects flavor. Researchers in Belgium found that certain taste bud receptors are most sensitive to food molecules that are at or just above room temperature. So hot coffee may seem less bitter (and, in turn, taste better) because our bitter-detecting taste buds aren’t as sensitive when coffee is hot. Odors influence flavor as well, so even the most bitter hot coffee may taste delicious because of its pleasant aroma; room-temperature coffee doesn’t smell the same.
溫度影響口感。比利時(shí)的研究者發(fā)現(xiàn)，某些味蕾會(huì)對(duì)處于室溫的食物分子更加敏感。由于我們品嘗苦味的味蕾在高溫度時(shí)并不十分敏感，相對(duì)而言熱咖啡似乎不那么苦啦(當(dāng)然口感更好)。氣味也會(huì)影響口感，所以即使是最苦的熱咖啡，也會(huì)因?yàn)樗南銡庾屓擞X(jué)得美味，而室溫咖啡就沒(méi)這個(gè)香氣了。
How come you wake up at night to urinate but not to do anything else?
為什么半夜醒來(lái)只想小便?
Because the sophisticated, intelligent neurons in your gut that control colon contractions, which push out waste, are also influenced by your body’s circadian rhythm, the internal clock that wakes you when it’s light out and makes you feel sleepy at night. So most people don’t have the urge to empty their colon in the middle of the night. On the other hand, the bladder, which acts a reservoir for the continuous flow of urine produced in the kidneys, can stretch only up to a certain volume before you gotta go. Normally, you can sleep six to eight hours without having to urinate, but certain medical conditions or drinking too much water before bed can wake you to use the bathroom at night.
這是因?yàn)榭刂浦Y(jié)腸收縮的復(fù)雜敏感神經(jīng)元，也會(huì)受到人體生理周期(也就是排便規(guī)律)的影響，白天生物鐘會(huì)讓你醒來(lái)，晚上會(huì)讓你睡覺(jué)。到了半夜，大部分人并不會(huì)急著去排便。另一方面，膀胱一直都儲(chǔ)存著腎臟排泄出的不間斷的尿液流，到了一定的容量，你就需要上廁所了。一般說(shuō)來(lái)睡眠六到八小時(shí)是無(wú)需小便的，但某種病癥或是睡前多喝水則會(huì)使你起夜了。
Why do we have fingerprints?
我們?yōu)槭裁从兄讣y?
Many experts think it’s to improve grip, but a British study from a few years back suggests otherwise. Researchers found that a fingerprint’s ridges actually made it harder to hold flat, smooth surfaces, like Plexiglas, because they reduced the skin’s contact area. Instead, they think our prints might help wick water off our fingertips or allow our skin to stretch more easily, which can protect it from damage and help prevent blisters. Other scientists have suggested fingerprints could improve our sense of touch. What we do know for sure is that no two people’s fingerprints are the same, even among identical twins.
有的專家認(rèn)為這會(huì)增加在抓取時(shí)手上的摩擦力，但最近幾年英國(guó)的調(diào)查顯示并非如此。研究者發(fā)現(xiàn)指紋的脊?fàn)罘炊谷藗冸y抓平滑的表面，比如樹(shù)脂玻璃，因?yàn)橹讣y減少了皮膚的接觸面積。他們反倒認(rèn)為指紋有可能是能防止指尖的水分流失，或使得我們皮膚更易吸收水分，從而保護(hù)皮膚防止起水泡。其他科學(xué)家還認(rèn)為指紋能提高我們的觸覺(jué)。目前我們確切知道的是：每個(gè)人的指紋都與其他人的不同，就算是雙胞胎也如此。
Can achy joints really forecast the weather?
關(guān)節(jié)疼痛真的可以預(yù)測(cè)天氣?
Maybe. A change in barometric readings may be part of the reason: Atmospheric pressure often drops right before bad weather sets in; this shift could cause body tissue to expand, which can lead to swelling and pain. The effect is slight, but people who have arthritic or inflamed joints may detect the difference. Temperature may have an impact too: In 2007, researchers found that every ten-degree drop in temperature corresponded with a small increase in osteoarthritic knee pain.
也許吧，氣壓變化有可能是一部分原因：壞天氣來(lái)臨時(shí)，氣壓往往會(huì)降低，這會(huì)導(dǎo)致機(jī)體組織擴(kuò)張，會(huì)讓人感覺(jué)疼痛。這種影響是十分輕微的，但如果有人患了關(guān)節(jié)炎又或關(guān)節(jié)受傷，影響或許會(huì)增大。溫度也是一方面原因：2007年，研究者發(fā)現(xiàn)氣溫每降低10度會(huì)增加膝骨關(guān)節(jié)炎的疼痛程度。
Why does holding your breath help with hiccups?
為什么憋氣能治打嗝呢?
It’s thought that if you build up carbon dioxide in your body (by not exhaling), it will help stop your diaphragm from spasming, which is what causes the hiccups. When your diaphragm contracts involuntarily, it forces a quick intake of breath that’s suddenly stopped by the epiglottis. That closure is what causes the hiccup sound.
有人認(rèn)為如果你憋住了二氧化碳(不呼氣)，就能讓你阻止你的隔膜痙攣，這也就造成了打嗝。如果你的隔膜開(kāi)始不自覺(jué)痙攣，會(huì)迫使你快速吸一口氣，然后受到會(huì)厭的阻擋。會(huì)厭就是打嗝聲音發(fā)出的地方。
What makes my stomach growl?
為什么胃會(huì)咕嚕咕嚕叫?
It can be the sound of your digestive juices churning and stomach muscles contracting as they get prepped for food. To avoid those often poorly timed and embarrassing sounds, eat smaller meals more frequently.
這是你胃液翻轉(zhuǎn)的聲音，胃部肌肉仍像消化食物一般蠕動(dòng)時(shí)發(fā)出聲音。要防止這些令人尷尬的提醒饑餓聲音，就少吃多餐吧。
Why do I sometimes get side stitches when I run?
為什么跑步時(shí)會(huì)胸口疼?
Your diaphragm gets stretched, pulled, and pounded during a run, which can cause that sharp, stabbing pain at the lower edge of your rib cage, usually on the right side of your body. To help the pain pass, slow down and take more controlled, easy breaths.
跑步時(shí)你的隔膜伸展拉長(zhǎng)以及變重，這會(huì)導(dǎo)致胸腔有種劇烈的疼痛感，且往往在身體右側(cè)。要減緩疼痛，那就放慢速度，呼吸均勻。
Why does armpit sweat smell worse than sweat from other places?
為什么腋下流汗的氣味比其他部位難聞?
Your body has two kinds of sweat glands. Most of those on your arms and legs secrete a mix of water and salt. But the glands in your armpits (as well as your groin) release an oily substance, which bacteria love. It’s actually the bacteria eating the oil that releases the telltale stench.
身體有兩種汗腺。大部分是在手臂以及腿部，分泌的是水和鹽分。而腋下(以及腹股溝)處的汗腺會(huì)分泌出油性物體，也是細(xì)菌的最愛(ài)。所以實(shí)際上是細(xì)菌吞噬油脂時(shí)發(fā)出的信號(hào)啦。
