10 Why Do We Have Fingerprints?
Despite the known usefulness of our unique fingerprints and the myriad ways they can help identify a person, science isn’t actually sure why we even have them in the first place. Some scientists have designed elaborate computer models to determine how fingerprints form, but despite understanding how they grow, we aren’t really any closer to understanding the evolutionary reason why we have individualized ID badges on our fingertips.
Researchers may be getting closer to a breakthrough, though. They’ve come across a very strange genetic disorder called adermatoglyphia, which affects only a few families in the entire world and whose carriers have no fingerprints. Aside from the unusual side effect of sweating slightly less, these individuals appear to be no more or less healthy than everyone else. Researchers are hopeful that, by studying these families and their genes, they may finally be able to solve the evolutionary mystery of fingerprints.
9 What Do Probiotics Do?
If you’ve ever watched a commercial for yogurt, you’ve probably heard the word “probiotic” thrown around. Many of these yogurts advertise that they contain live probiotic cultures, meant to improve your overall health. While it sounds like the yogurt companies have found something new, the truth is that probiotics are a type of good bacteria that has been living in your gut all along. And strangely, the yogurt companies don’t actually say what specifically these live cultures will do for your health.
The reason no one is advertising a specific benefit is that no one really knowswhat any of these cultures accomplish. In fact, many of the probiotics in use today as supplements or in food products were used because of their shelf life and not necessarily because they were the best for our bodies. They certainly don’t do any harm, but scientists are just beginning to work on unraveling what specific health benefits each good bacterium has. They suspect that if they can determine the purpose of all of the various good bacteria that end up in humans, they may be able to answer all kinds of other questions and treat many diseases. Solving this riddle will likely be a long journey, though, as there are hundreds of different probiotic bacteria to study.
8 Why Do We Have Different Blood Types?
You are probably already familiar with the common blood types, and if you have ever given blood, you probably know what yours is. It’s a pretty important thing to get right, as the wrong blood type can easily mess up someone’s entire day in an operation. Since blood types first evolved 20 million years ago, we’ve certainly had plenty of time to figure it out. However, despite how well we know how blood types work, we really don’t know what their actual purpose is.
Blood types are categorized by the different antigens found in blood cells of people of each type. These antigens are signals to antibodies that destroy foreign cells in the body. These antibodies won’t cause any trouble for antigens of the correct type, but they attack intruders, causing rejection of the wrong type of blood in a transfusion or an incorrectly typed organ transplant.
Despite science understanding this much about blood types, there is still a lot we don’t know. For starters, there are actually many more blood groups other than A, B, and O. Most importantly, we don’t know the purpose of these antigens in the first place. Our best guess is that it has something to do with disease, as some interesting links have been found. Scientists have found, for instance, that those with blood type B might be more likely to be bothered by E. coli, while those who aren’t part of the Duffy blood group are close to immune to one form of malaria. While it’s hard to be sure of the reason, perhaps blood groups evolved as a way to fight infectious diseases.
7 Does The Brain Remain Active Following Decapitation?
In many popular urban legends, a person is decapitated, but for a few horrifying minutes, they remain conscious. In some stories, the person blinks or makes some other movement to show their awareness. To some, it sounds like a fanciful story meant to scare small children, but the truth is that we really aren’t sure how long the brain can stay active in such a situation.
It’s a difficult phenomenon to research, because scientists can’t exactly go around decapitating people. The only real opportunity to gather data was in Revolution-era France, when the guillotine was the primary method of execution. While several experiments were conducted, there is only one documented attempt to communicate immediately following decapitation, performed by a researcher named Dr. Gabriel Beaurieux. After calling the decapitated man’s name multiple times, his eyes opened and appeared briefly to focus before closing one final time. The doctor came to the conclusion that some lower functions remain active for nearly 30 seconds following decapitation, but he was unable to ascertain if anything approaching consciousness continued.
6 Do Humans Have Pheromones?
Sniffing out pheromones, especially for reproductive purposes, has long been observed in the animal kingdom. This has led scientific researchers to study what possible role pheromones play in human interactions, with results that have often been more confusing than anything else. While plenty of studies have shown that humans are affected by smell, the business of pheromones is slightly trickier.
Scientists were certain for a long time that we don’t even have a vomeronasal organ, which is the olfactory organ that animals use to detect pheromones. We do have a very small one, but it’s unclear whether it actually does anything. Science has shown that humans have their own unique smells that are likely genetically influenced, just like fingerprints. For example, very young babies can identify their mothers by smell, and regular exposure to each other’s scent can synchronize a group of women’s menstrual cycles. Clearly, there is still much to learn about human olfactory response.
Despite the known usefulness of our unique fingerprints and the myriad ways they can help identify a person, science isn’t actually sure why we even have them in the first place. Some scientists have designed elaborate computer models to determine how fingerprints form, but despite understanding how they grow, we aren’t really any closer to understanding the evolutionary reason why we have individualized ID badges on our fingertips.
Researchers may be getting closer to a breakthrough, though. They’ve come across a very strange genetic disorder called adermatoglyphia, which affects only a few families in the entire world and whose carriers have no fingerprints. Aside from the unusual side effect of sweating slightly less, these individuals appear to be no more or less healthy than everyone else. Researchers are hopeful that, by studying these families and their genes, they may finally be able to solve the evolutionary mystery of fingerprints.
9 What Do Probiotics Do?
If you’ve ever watched a commercial for yogurt, you’ve probably heard the word “probiotic” thrown around. Many of these yogurts advertise that they contain live probiotic cultures, meant to improve your overall health. While it sounds like the yogurt companies have found something new, the truth is that probiotics are a type of good bacteria that has been living in your gut all along. And strangely, the yogurt companies don’t actually say what specifically these live cultures will do for your health.
The reason no one is advertising a specific benefit is that no one really knowswhat any of these cultures accomplish. In fact, many of the probiotics in use today as supplements or in food products were used because of their shelf life and not necessarily because they were the best for our bodies. They certainly don’t do any harm, but scientists are just beginning to work on unraveling what specific health benefits each good bacterium has. They suspect that if they can determine the purpose of all of the various good bacteria that end up in humans, they may be able to answer all kinds of other questions and treat many diseases. Solving this riddle will likely be a long journey, though, as there are hundreds of different probiotic bacteria to study.
8 Why Do We Have Different Blood Types?
You are probably already familiar with the common blood types, and if you have ever given blood, you probably know what yours is. It’s a pretty important thing to get right, as the wrong blood type can easily mess up someone’s entire day in an operation. Since blood types first evolved 20 million years ago, we’ve certainly had plenty of time to figure it out. However, despite how well we know how blood types work, we really don’t know what their actual purpose is.
Blood types are categorized by the different antigens found in blood cells of people of each type. These antigens are signals to antibodies that destroy foreign cells in the body. These antibodies won’t cause any trouble for antigens of the correct type, but they attack intruders, causing rejection of the wrong type of blood in a transfusion or an incorrectly typed organ transplant.
Despite science understanding this much about blood types, there is still a lot we don’t know. For starters, there are actually many more blood groups other than A, B, and O. Most importantly, we don’t know the purpose of these antigens in the first place. Our best guess is that it has something to do with disease, as some interesting links have been found. Scientists have found, for instance, that those with blood type B might be more likely to be bothered by E. coli, while those who aren’t part of the Duffy blood group are close to immune to one form of malaria. While it’s hard to be sure of the reason, perhaps blood groups evolved as a way to fight infectious diseases.
7 Does The Brain Remain Active Following Decapitation?
In many popular urban legends, a person is decapitated, but for a few horrifying minutes, they remain conscious. In some stories, the person blinks or makes some other movement to show their awareness. To some, it sounds like a fanciful story meant to scare small children, but the truth is that we really aren’t sure how long the brain can stay active in such a situation.
It’s a difficult phenomenon to research, because scientists can’t exactly go around decapitating people. The only real opportunity to gather data was in Revolution-era France, when the guillotine was the primary method of execution. While several experiments were conducted, there is only one documented attempt to communicate immediately following decapitation, performed by a researcher named Dr. Gabriel Beaurieux. After calling the decapitated man’s name multiple times, his eyes opened and appeared briefly to focus before closing one final time. The doctor came to the conclusion that some lower functions remain active for nearly 30 seconds following decapitation, but he was unable to ascertain if anything approaching consciousness continued.
6 Do Humans Have Pheromones?
Sniffing out pheromones, especially for reproductive purposes, has long been observed in the animal kingdom. This has led scientific researchers to study what possible role pheromones play in human interactions, with results that have often been more confusing than anything else. While plenty of studies have shown that humans are affected by smell, the business of pheromones is slightly trickier.
Scientists were certain for a long time that we don’t even have a vomeronasal organ, which is the olfactory organ that animals use to detect pheromones. We do have a very small one, but it’s unclear whether it actually does anything. Science has shown that humans have their own unique smells that are likely genetically influenced, just like fingerprints. For example, very young babies can identify their mothers by smell, and regular exposure to each other’s scent can synchronize a group of women’s menstrual cycles. Clearly, there is still much to learn about human olfactory response.
