The human body has been perfectly designed by nature and millions of years of evolution. Throughout ancient and medieval times, the human body remained a big mystery for doctors and philosophers. Through trial and error, they experimented in the research and comprehension of the functioning of the human body.

It’s taken thousands of years of research and analysis to discover, little by little, how our bodies work, why do our bodies do certain things, why do our bodies get ill, how to get our bodies to recover from illness and many more things that were not understood by previous generations.

Smallpox was a deadly killer for thousands of years. Today, the presence of this terrible illness remains solely in history books and some high-security laboratories around the world, like in the CDC. Thanks to vaccines and education smallpox was eradicated last century.

In the middle ages when The Black Plague killed nearly 70% of Europeans, the doctors, priests, and philosophers believed that it was a punishment from God. Concoctions were made out of faecal matter and other infectious materials to try and find a cure for the terrible epidemic that was ravaging most of Asia and Europe, but to no avail.

Now we know that The Black Plague was caused by the bacteria Yersinia Pestis, which was transmitted by fleas on rats traveling in the boats of merchants. Thanks to antibiotics this bacteria is no longer a threat to the world.

Some illnesses are part of the past. Many bodily functions are now understood. But there are still many mysteries that the human body hides and that doctors are eager to figure out.

The intelligence of cells

Scientists know that when an embryo is formed, cells start to duplicate to form the human foetus. However, it is still a mystery how cells know which ones will form skin tissue, the brain, eyes, bones and every single part that composes the human body. The intelligence that organises to form a human being is still not completely understood.

Consciousness

You know the part that makes you… well, you? Where does it come from? Consciousness is attributed to being somewhere in the brain, but scientists still have to crack this mystery and figure out what exactly is consciousness, what is it made off, and how does it work. Can it be recreated in a laboratory?

Why are most people right-handed?

Most humans have two functional hands, and yet since childhood, our brains determine which will be our top-notch hand. One out of ten people are right-handed and find it difficult to perform a certain task with their left hand. Wouldn’t it be great if we could take full advantage of both our hands?

One theory of this is that in infancy our brains create intricate wiring on one side of the brain, which will determine the hand that will be dominant.

The impact of mental health in the bedroom

This mystery took a long time to be cracked and it’s still being fully investigated. But stress, depression, anxiety, lack of communication and other emotional factors can play a crucial role in a man’s ability to get an erection. The depth of the impact that our emotional health has on our sex life is still under investigation. Since on many occasions, it is mental health medication that can cause erectile dysfunction, which leads to more stress, becoming a vicious cycle. Fortunately for men, there’s erectile dysfunction information by doctors which can guide them to a healthier sex life.

Pubic hair

What’s its real function? Ladies hate it, and they will go to painful lengths to have it removed, and scientists are still baffled about the purpose of it. It’s inexistent during infancy and starts showing up during puberty, which leads scientist to believe that it’s a sign of being physically mature to bear children. But the human body has other ways to let the person know that they have reached sexual maturity.

Some theorists say that this hair is merely ornamental, a possible reservoir of pheromones, maybe to keep the little treasure cosy, while other scientists believe that it is a little padding to prevent friction during sexual intercourse. But the real reason is still a mystery.

Why do we have an appendix?

This little worm-shaped organ has caused a lot of anguish for a lot of people who have visited the ER believing they were going to die from the pain. The medical procedure to remove it is relatively easy (unless it has ruptured).

A person can lead a perfectly happy life after getting their appendix removed, which leads scientists to question what its purpose is? Some say that it’s a secret stash of microbes that repopulate the digestive tract after having diarrhea. Other theories argue that it helped the foetuse train the immune system. Nothing is known for certain, except that you can easily live without it.

Why do we have different blood types

No, by blood types we do not mean blue blood and commoners’ red blood. But the type that you need to know for a blood transfusion. The most common ones are A, B and O, this last one being the most common, and AB being rare.

Science has discovered that blood types can be determined by the presence of antigens and antibodies in blood and plasma. However, the reason why there are blood types at all remains a mystery.

Fingerprints

What makes fingerprints so mysterious is that we all have them, but they’re unique in each one of us. Fingerprints have become the primary form of analysis in criminal investigations, and that’s because there are no two humans with the same fingerprints.

Fingerprints have several functions in the human body: they increase sensitivity, they help us have a better grip of things, and they can help prevent blisters.

However, given that we use them all the time, it should be inevitable that the wear and tear would smooth the surface, and yet, they maintain their uniqueness.