Mind Soup

ENERGY DIMENSION:   We have learned much about our bodies through old wives’ tales handed down from our moms and grandmothers and even in school, but not all of it is correct. Here we look at 10 misconceptions that might surprise you. 1. Warts can be caught from other animals like toads Human warts are caused by a virus that affects only humans, the human pappiloma virus. They cannot be caught by animals with warts and certainly not by toads whose bumps are not warts but glands. 2. Sugar makes children hyperactive False! Twelve controlled, double blind trials have shown that there is absolutely no connection between children’s behavior and their sugar intake. One thing was found, namely that parents rate their child’s behavior as more hyper when they thought they had been given a sugary drink. “The studies included sugar from sweets, chocolate and natural sources. Even in studies of those who were considered “sensitive” to sugar, children did not behave differently after eati...

Almost all of the following images were captured using a scanning electronic microscope. Incredible details of 1 to 5nm (nanometer) in size can be detected 1. Red Blood Cells They look like little cinnamon candies here, but they're actually the most common type of blood cell in the human body - red blood cells (RBCs). These biconcave-shaped cells have the tall task of carrying oxygen to our entire body; in women there are about 4 to 5 million RBCs per micro liter (cubic millimeter) of blood and about 5 to 6 million in men. People who live at higher altitudes have even more RBCs because of the low oxygen levels in their environment. 2. Split End of Human Hair Regular trimmings to your hair and good conditioner should help to prevent this unsightly picture of a split end of a human hair. 3. Purkinje Neurons Of the 100 billion neurons in your brain. Purkinje (pronounced purr-kin-jee) neurons are some of the largest. Among other things, these cells are the masters of mot...

A 25-year-old man from Maine is auctioning off the back of his neck as advertising space. The winning bidder can put a permanent tattoo ad on the back of Mark's neck. Mark Greenlaw from Biddeford, Maine has ran crazy auctions since the day he started the all famous weirdebay.com but nothing could prepare him for his newest adventure. The 25 year old has decided to offer a permanent advertising spot on the back of his neck to the highest bidder, when sitting down with Mark Greenlaw he had a smile that would make you think he was just your normal crazy guy, in reality he is a very nice guy at age 25. Mark Greenlaw has three kids ages 5, 3, and 2 his exact words to me were “I am doing this auction to help support my family and if it takes a little pain and a logo on the back of my neck to do so then I will do it.” When asked does it bother you that this company will be branded on you for life? He replied: “Not at all I think it will be fun for both myself and the company, just i...

The plastic things on the end of shoelaces are called aglets . (right) The word "nerd" was first coined by Dr. Seuss in "If I Ran the Zoo." There are twice as many kangaroos in Australia as there are people. The kangaroo population is estimated at about 40 million. According to suicide statistics, Monday is the favored day for self-destruction. There are 10 human body parts that are only 3 letters long: eye, hip, arm, leg, ear, toe, jaw, rib, lip, gum . The largest number of children born to one woman is recorded at 69. From 1725-1765, a Russian peasant woman gave birth to 16 sets of twins, 7 sets of triplets, and 4 sets of quadruplets. Flying from London to New York by Concord, due to the time zones crossed, you can arrive 2 hours before you leave.

When you're sick you may feel that certain body parts are more trouble than they're worth. And in some cases, you'd be right. While the human body has evolved and adapted significantly since the caveman days, a few biological traces of our prehistoric ancestors still remain with us in the form of freeloading body parts we lug around with us, but have no use for. Take a gander at the top offenders! 10. Plica semilunaris You may not know it, but you have a third eyelid. Pull open the two more noticeable eyelids and take a look -- it's located right in the corner by the tear duct. This small third eyelid is left over from what's known as a "nictitating membrane," which is still present in full form in some animals including chickens, lizards and sharks. 9. Body hair No doubt we were once hairier. Up until about 3 million years ago, we were covered with body hair. But by the time Homo erectus arrived, the ability to sweat meant we could shed our woolly ways. 8...