Your nose can tell apart about a trillion smells
A 2014 study estimated humans can distinguish at least one trillion different odours — far more than the old 10,000 figure that textbooks repeated for decades.
More human body facts
See all →You are about 1 cm taller in the morning
The cartilage discs between your vertebrae compress under your weight during the day and expand again while you sleep lying down.
Read the fact →Your stomach gets a new lining every few days
Stomach acid is strong enough to dissolve metal, so the cells lining the stomach are replaced roughly every three to four days before the acid can damage them.
Read the fact →Babies are born with about 300 bones; adults have 206
Many of a newborn’s bones are separate pieces of cartilage that fuse together as the child grows, so the count drops as the skeleton hardens.
Read the fact →