Amazing Things the Body Can Do

From head to toe, your body is an amazing creation. Because of it, you can paint, go hiking, play football, crochet, play the flute, and do many other enjoyable activities.

As the prophet explains on page 50, “Your body, whatever its natural gifts, is a magnificent creation of God. … Ponder the magnificence of what you see when you look in the mirror … a child of God, created by Him in His image.”

Human bones are strong. The 26 small bones in your feet carry your body weight with every step you take.

Broken bones can heal.

The most expensive digital camera today can capture 400 megapixels, but the human eye can see 576 megapixels.

The human eye can distinguish thousands of different colors, and your nose can recognize thousands of different scents.

Two eyes give you binocular vision, which helps with depth perception. Test it by closing one eye and trying to touch a small item near you.

For blind people, the brain’s visual cortex changes in order to respond more to touch and hearing.

Your brain produces enough electricity to light a small light bulb.

Hearing is the fastest human sense. Your brain can recognize a sound 10 times faster than the blink of an eye, in as little as 0.05 seconds.

The human heart beats more than three billion times in an average lifespan. That’s more than 100,000 times per day.

Your heart pumps 5.5 liters of blood per minute. So, during an average lifetime, it will pump nearly 1.5 million barrels of blood—enough to fill 200 train cars.

Blood supplies oxygen from the lungs to other organs. Blood removes carbon dioxide to the lungs to be breathed out.

Blood distributes nourishment from your digestive system.

Blood takes the body’s waste to the kidneys and liver to be sorted and trashed.

Your immune system, using glands like your adenoids and organs like your thymus and spleen, can protect you from harmful viruses and bacteria.

When your brain is alerted to danger, adrenaline is released, which accelerates your heart rate, increases breathing, dilates the pupils, and shuts down your digestive system to allow other muscles to contract with incredible force.

When you receive information through one of your senses, the signal travels from your nerves to your brain at over 100 miles per hour (160 kph).

The skin secretes antibacterial substances and serves as the first layer of defense for invading microorganisms. Most bacteria that land on the skin die quickly.

Your skin can be grafted from one part of your body to grow on another part. It is the human body’s largest organ and is constantly renewing itself.

The liver is responsible for more than 500 distinct processes. It is so important that if a person has two-thirds of his or her liver removed as a result of trauma or surgery, it will grow back to its original size in as little as four weeks.

Most sacred of all, our bodies have the power to procreate—to create life.

Illustrations by Hugo Herrera