Tag Archives: People

Stomach

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Stomach

Don’t upset your stomach!

  • The stomach is an organ that is hollow and consists of muscle, and is used in the process of digesting food by breaking it down and destroying any bacteria.
  • The stomach is located in the middle of a human, above the small intestine and below the esophagus, and when empty, it is shaped like a letter ‘J’, and is approximately 25 cm (10 inch) long.
  • The stomach creates protein enzymes, named protease, and acid to help break down and digest food.
  • The job of the stomach is to send partially digested food to the intestines so nutrients can be extracted, and it also holds food, ready to be received by the intestines.
  • A typical adult stomach has an empty volume of 45 to 75 millilitres (1.5 to 2.5 fluid ounces) which enlarges to generally contain 1 litre (0.25 gallon) of food, however it can hold up to 2-3 litres (0.5 – 0.8 gallon) of food.

Stomach, pink, digital, art, human, organ, digestive, Ten Random Facts, Flickr,

Stomach
Image courtesy of Dream Designs/ Free Digital Photos
  • Some stomach related diseases include gastric ulcers, peptic ulcers, gastritis and stomach cancer.
  • The ‘stomach’ is also known as the ‘gaster’ which is a Greek word, hence the stomach related words ‘gastro’ and ‘gastric’.
  • Some deadly stomach cancers require those patients to have a total gastrectomy (stomach removal) to prevent loss of life, however, even though they face challenges with what and how they eat, and have to change the regularity and quantity of food intake, patients can live quite successfully without a stomach.
  • The capacity of a newborn baby’s stomach is approximately 30 ml (1 fl oz).
  • Muscles in the stomach move every 2 seconds to break down the food, and it takes 40 minutes to a few hours to process the food.
Bibliography:
Hill K, What does your Stomach do?, 2013, The Big Site of Amazing Facts, <http://www.bigsiteofamazingfacts.com/what-does-your-stomach-do>
Stomach, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stomach>

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Soap

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Soap

Scrub-a-dub dub with the soap.

  • Soap is a solid bar or liquid solution that is used to wash, bathe or clean and is used widely in the textile industry for various tasks.
  • Soap is typically made using animal or vegetable fats or oils which is mixed with an alkaline formula like caustic soda.
  • Soap cleans by causing things that are insoluble, like small bacteria, chemicals, dirt or the like, to become soluble, and wash away with water.
  • Soap was used and possibly invented in 2800 BC by Ancient Babylonians, and later by the Ancient Egyptians, who used animal and vegetable oils.
  • ‘Soap’ is derived from the Latin word ‘sapo’, which is the name of a fictitious mountain in the area of Rome which is said to be associated with soap.

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  • Industrial soap production occurred in the 1450s to 1500s, in France and as early as the 1200s the process was industrialised in the Middle East.
  • Liquid soap started being produced in the 1800s, and was patented in 1865 by William Shepphard, the use of which became more practical than typical bars.
  • Soap is typically made by heating up particular oils or fats, pouring off waste liquid and setting the mixture into moulds.
  • Throughout history, soap has been used to treat skin conditions and with the addition of other plant materials, to dye hair.
  • Soap is one of the main ingredients in grease that is used for lubrication purposes.
Bibliography:
Soap, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soap>
Soap Facts: Interesting and Fun Facts, n.d, Soap History, <http://www.soaphistory.net/soap-facts/>

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Leonardo da Vinci

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Leonardo da Vinci

The greatest inventor, Leonardo da Vinci.

  • Leonardo da Vinci’s full name is Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci.
  • Leonardo da Vinci was the son of a lawyer and a peasant woman, and was born on 15 April 1452, in Italy and died at the age of 67 on 2 May 1519 in France.
  • Leonardo da Vinci is known as a ‘polymath’, a person who has significant ability and knowledge in a wide variety of fields, with skills in art, mathematics, engineering and science, such as human anatomy, botany and geology.
  • Leonardo da Vinci became an apprentice under Verrocchio (Andrea di Cione) the artist, at fourteen years of age and became a qualified master artist at the age of 20.
  • Leonardo da Vinci is often thought to be one of the most outstanding painters in history and the most remarkable polymath of all time.

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Self-portrait by Leonardo da Vinci
Image courtesy of Erik Drost/Flickr
  • Leonardo da Vinci created notable invention concepts for vehicles, such as helicopters and bicycles, calculators and concentrated solar power.
  • On 5 August 1473, Leonardo da Vinci created an artwork named ‘Arno Valley’, with pen and ink mediums and this is his earliest known drawing.
  • Leonardo da Vinci was left handed and mostly wrote in mirror reversed cursive writing, and during his life-time he wrote and recorded 13,000 pages of notes and complex diagrams.
  • Leonardo da Vinci is known as an artist throughout the world for his famous paintings like the ‘Mona Lisa’, ‘The Last Supper’ and the ‘Virgin of the Rocks’.
  • Some of Leonardo da Vinci’s machine designs were physically constructed and tested for a documentary for the Channel Four British television station in 2003.
Bibliography:
Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), 2013, BBC, <http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/da_vinci_leonardo.shtml>
Leonardo da Vinci, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonardo_da_Vinci>

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Blood

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Blood

Blood is thicker than water…

  • Blood is a liquid solution that every animal or person needs that transports oxygen, nutrients for cells, and body waste in the body.
  • Blood contains mainly 55% plasma, which is mainly water, white blood cells and 45% red blood cells.
  • Blood is pumped throughout the body by the heart muscle, and blood vessels burst if they are hurt or cut, which is called ‘bleeding’.
  • Often blood terms use the prefixes ‘haemo-’ or ‘haemato-’, which comes from the Greek word for blood, ‘haima’, such as ‘haematology’, the study of blood.
  • Blood makes up 7 to 8% of the weight of a human’s body and is little denser than water.

Blood, Small, Cut, Prick, Finger, Ten Random Facts, Adult, Women,

  • Human blood is always red, due to the protein haemoglobin, although animal’s blood can be blue or green, but deoxygenated blood is a darker red, even though some people think it is blue, which is the way it is often depicted in diagrams.
  • ‘Blood’ comes from the word ‘bluot’, which is an Old High German word for blood.
  • A healthy adult has approximately 5 litres (1.3 gallons) of blood circulating in their body, although their will generally be less blood in someone who is dehydrated, since the water in the fluid is diminished.
  • Blood forms in the bone marrow, typically in the leg bones in children and in the spine and central bones in adults.
  • Only a few animals drink blood for nutrients, and these include female mosquitoes, ticks, leeches and vampire bats.
Bibliography:
Blood, 2013, Kids Health, <http://kidshealth.org/parent/general/body_basics/blood.html>
Blood, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood>


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Hypothermia

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Hypothermia

Brrrrr. Hypothermia is cold.

  • Hypothermia is when the temperature of a human body falls from its usual temperature of around 37°C (98.6°F) to below 35°C (95°F).
  • People are more susceptible to hypothermia if they are quite young or quite old, sick with permanent medical conditions, if they have consumed alcohol or drugs or if they are unusually tired.
  • Hypothermia is due to the body losing heat without being able to replace it, and can be caused by exposure to cold water or cold weather below 10°C (50°F), or not eating or drinking enough in cold conditions.
  • Between 1999 to 2004, an average of 647 people died each year in the United States due to hypothermia.
  • Hypothermia is often caused from not wearing enough warm clothes in cold conditions, and often leads to frostbite due to the brain keeping the vital organs, including the brain, warm.

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Hypothermia
Image courtesy of Asktrekker/Flickr
  • Sleepiness, weakness, pale skin, shivering uncontrollably, confusion, slow breathing, slurred speech and slow heart beating are among the signs of hypothermia.
  • Victims of hypothermia are often found motionless, since the body cannot look after itself properly, often making people think they are dead.
  • After being exposed to hypothermia, victims should not be placed in or near very hot substances such as heat lamps or hot water to warm them up, but rather slow indirect heat like the warmth from another person is helpful.
  • Victims of hypothermia can die if exposed to severe temperatures and have no medical help, and if the person moves around it can cause a heart attack because it will make their body temperature colder.
  • People who are suffering from hypothermia will sometimes remove their layers of clothing, which makes their situation worse, so this urge, known as ‘paradoxical undressing’, needs to be resisted.
Bibliography:
Hypothermia, 2010, Medline Plus, < http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000038.htm>
Hypothermia, 2013, Better Health Channel, < http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Hypothermia>

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Michael Jackson

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Michael Jackson

“It’s a thriller, thriller night,” – Thriller, Michael Jackson

  • Michael Jackson’s full name was ‘Michael Joseph (Joe) Jackson’ and he was also known as ‘MJ’ or the ‘King of Pop’.
  • Michael Jackson was a vocalist who sang pop, rock, soul, R&B, funk and disco genres as well as becoming a vocal instrument musician, a song-writer and a popular dancer, inventing moves including the ‘moonwalk’ and the ‘robot’.
  • Michael Jackson was born in United States’ Indiana on 29 August 1958 and died at 50 years of age in Los Angeles, California, during a tour, on the 25 June 2009, and is said to have died by involuntary manslaughter by his personal physician, Dr Conrad Murray.
  • Michael Jackson was lead singer of the family band of five, The Jackson 5, which he joined at the age of five and he became a soloist at age 13, releasing ten albums during his life and travelled the world on tour many times.
  • Michael Jackson’s album Thriller is the biggest selling album ever, with estimations ranging from 51 to 65 million.

Michael Jackson, Sing, Spotlight, stage, Black, Real, Madison Sqaure Garden, 2001, Hair, Ten Random Facts, Flickr

Michael Jackson
Image courtesy of Allar Janssen/Flickr

  • Michael Jackson suffered from child abuse, even being whipped, by his father, and Jackson himself was charged with multiple offenses during his lifetime, including child abuse, in mid 1990s and mid 2000s, with both accusations proving false.
  • During the 1980s, Michael Jackson was diagnosed with vitiligo, a disease that lightened his dark skin, although some said that Jackson had purposely bleached it, and even though he had nose surgery, others believed he had facial surgeries that were denied by the vocalist.
  • Approximately 31.1 million US residents viewed the memorial of Michael Jackson, which was not far behind the memorial of Lady Princess Diana’s views of an estimated 33.1 million and 40th US President Ronald Reagan’s memorial views of approximately 35.1 million and many websites including Google, Wikipedia and Twitter crashed due to usage amounts around the time of his death.
  • Michael Jackson divorced both of his wives after two years of being married, firstly to Elvis Presley’s daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, and later his dermatologist nurse, Deborah Rowe with whom he had two children, and later on he had a third child born to a surrogate mother.
  • Michael Jackson is estimated to have earned $750 million and won hundreds of awards in his lifetime, most notably 26 American Music Awards and 13 Grammy Awards (US Music Awards) including the tough Grammy Legend and Grammy Lifetime Awards as well as some Guinness World Records.
Bibliography:
Michael Jackson Bibliography, 2013, Bio.com, < http://www.biography.com/people/michael-jackson-38211>
Michael Jackson, 2013, Wikipedia, < https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Jackson>

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Michael Jackson Albums

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