Archive for the 'Things to Know' Category
Whenever somebody hiccups, it is often remarked that he is being remembered by some one. Some people even go to the extent of saying that the person who is hiccuping has secretly eaten something. It is just a reflex action of the body by which the body protects itself.
Why do we hiccup ?
There is a diaphragm located between the chest and the stomach. While inhaling air this diaphragm goes down and presses the stomach due to which the lungs are filled with air, while exhaling air, the diaphragm goes up and the air comes out from the lungs. Thus the diaphragm goes up and down and the process of respiration continues incessantly without making any sound.
The diaphragm functions like a piston. But sometimes, due to the formation of gas or increase of acidity in the stomach , the diaphragm gets irritated and as a result contracts suddenly. In such a situation , the air passing into the lungs experiences obstruction and makes a peculiar sound. This is nothing but the hiccup.
After the day’s work, we all get tired. Similarly we get tired after running, swimming or doing exercises.
Do you know why we get tired after doing some work ?
When we do some work at a fast speed,our muscles do not get as much oxygen as they need. In such a saturation to provide extra energy to the body, the glycogen stored in our muscles is transformed into lactic acid through the process of fermentation.
The lactic acid reduces the working capacity of the muscles. This state of the body is known as fatigue. The lactic acid acts as a poison for the muscles. If we expel the lactic acid from the muscles by some process, they can again become for for working.
As a result of the muscular action some other substances called fatigue toxins are also produced in the body. Blood circulates these acids and toxins throughout the body because of which both the body and the brain get tired. Even when we do some mental work lactic acid and fatigue toxins are produced in the body and we get tired.
Most of the people think that empty stomach creates the feeling of hunger , but this is not true. Hunger has nothing to do with an empty stomach. for example, a person who has fever may have a empty stomach, but he does not feel hungry. Similarly when a child is born, he doesn’t not feel hungry for several days.
Do you know why we feel hungry ?
When the blood gets depleted of nutritive materials, a message is sent to our brain by our body through nerves. The deficiency of nutritive materials is caused in the blood by the consumption of energy in the routine work. A sick man remains in a state of rest and consumes small amounts of energy. He, therefore, does not feel hungry for several days.
Whenever there is a deficiency of nutritive food substances in the blood, a message goes to the ‘hunger centre’ of the brain. This centre acts like a brake on the activities of the stomach and intestines. When the blood has sufficient nutritive substance, the hunger centre stops the activities of the stomach and intestines. On the contrary when there is a lack of nutrition the intestines and stomach become active. That is why you can hear your stomach rumbling when you are hungry.
If we carefully measure we can see that the right foot is slightly bigger than the left one.
Do you know why one feet is bigger than the other
The constitution of our body is not completely symmetrical. There is a little asymmetry between the left and the right sides of the body. If we notice carefully, we find that the right side of our face is slightly more developed than the left side .
The right hand is slightly bigger than the left one. Our heart is located on the left while the liver on the right. The inner constitution of the body is not in complete equilibrium. That is why even the development of the bones is slightly asymmetrical. Because of this asymmetrical development, our right foot is bigger than the left foot.
This asymmetrical structure of the body affects us in many ways. That is why if we are blindfolded, we are not able to walk in a straight line. We start moving in circles, because of the asymmetrical structure of the body. This is true of animals also.
In the seas there are several kinds of fishes that produce electricity. They use this energy for their safety and acquiring food. But till now the scientists have not been able to find out how they produce electricity.
Types of Fishes that produce Electricity
They closely resemble other fishes. The electric eel is the most dangerous of all these. It is found in the swamps of the Amazon and the Orinoco rivers of the South America. Some people call it the Brazilian electric eel too. It is blackish in colour. Its length goes up to 1.8meters. Its electric organs are located below its tail. it is able to overcome animals as big as horses by giving them electric shocks.
Few men are also reported to have experienced its electric shocks for many hours. It is capable of producing electricity of 400 volts with one ampere current. Some fish of this class have been found to produce a potential difference of 650 volts.
