50 Photos Of Human Body Quirks That Are Both Fascinating And Shocking

Traits like unusually tall height, purple or differently colored eyes, or even extreme flexibility have that effect on us. They catch our attention and make us stop for a second, simply because they’re not something we see every day. 

They stand out against the ordinary, and that contrast is what makes them so fascinating.

But here’s the thing: our bodies, in the most “ordinary” sense of the word, are just as incredible.

We’re so used to what they do for us every day that we rarely stop to think about it. Yet when you break it down, it’s mind-blowing to realize everything going on while we’re simply existing and getting on with our lives.

Jeff Foster, Medical Director of the U.K.-based healthcare provider H3 Health, suggests many of us “take our bodies for granted.”

“It is only when we spend the time looking at what is really involved in what makes us human that we realize how amazing our bodies are,” he told Newsweek.

Take blinking, for example.

Did you know the fastest moving muscle in your body is the orbicularis oculi, the one that controls your eyelids? It can contract in less than a tenth of a second.

Those tiny, rapid movements are crucial for tracking objects, reading, and protecting your eyes. So when we say something happens ‘in the blink of an eye,’ it’s a spot-on way to describe just how quick it really is.

And while people might look drastically different from one another, the truth is that humans are 99.9 percent identical in their genetic makeup.

“The visual differences or internal variations that occur in us are only due to a tiny variation in genetics,” Dr. Foster explained. “This is also why we are so similar to many other animals—from a genetic perspective.”

That remaining 0.1 percent, however, packs a punch. It determines everything from hair and eye color to height and even a person’s risk of developing certain diseases. All the diversity we see in humanity comes from that sliver of difference.

Fingerprints are the most famous way to tell people apart. Even identical twins don’t share them. But they’re far from the only marker of individuality.

Ears, for instance, are just as distinctive. Yes, ears.

The ridges and folds of your outer ear are unique to you. In fact, forensic scientists have been using ear prints since the 1950s to identify suspects. In 1998, researchers proved that computers could distinguish between ear images, paving the way for today’s advanced techniques.

Now, 3D scanning can create detailed ear models, while algorithms analyze geometric patterns like the distance between the lobe and upper edges. As a result, an ear can be recognized with 99.6% accuracy in just 0.02 milliseconds.

“As you grow older your ear doesn’t change—it just grows larger but the proportions remain the same,” Mark Nixon, a computer vision expert at the University of Southampton who has been one of the leading researchers in ear recognition, told BBC.

And it doesn’t stop there. Another identifier is your scent.

Studies funded by the U.S. Army Research Office found it’s possible to tell people apart by analyzing the chemical “cloud” we leave behind as we move. Researchers at the University of Bristol discovered that a combination of 44 compounds secreted by the body creates a “thermal plume” that surrounds each person, like an invisible fingerprint of smell.

That’s the very trail search dogs follow. Scientists are now developing “electronic noses” to mimic the process, and even the UK’s Forensic Science Service has explored using scent traces in criminal investigations.

So yes, bodies are unbelievably cool. There’s a lot going on beneath the surface that makes them just as amazing as those rare, eye-catching traits we notice on the outside. The next time you’re sitting around feeling bored, remember: your body definitely isn’t.