Humans are complex creatures. Our bodies are made up of different organ systems that must work together to keep us functioning smoothly. For so much of our history, we’ve been fascinated with ourselves. People have assigned emotions and feelings and jobs to different organs, not all have been correct, but these assignments sometimes felt so right that they’ve stayed in our language. For Christmas this year, peruse the following organs below and see if you’re able to send a special message to a special someone.
We know today that our brains are responsible for emotions like love, hate, fear, and even lust. But our hearts are the ones responding to these emotions in ways that make us swoon or hurt. When we’re falling in love (and lust), our adrenaline kicks in. This hormone is responsible for the increased heart rate or if you want to be poetic, the “be still my beating heart” part of love.
You know that fluttering feeling in your stomach when your crush walks by you? You can thank adrenaline for that too. This flight-or-fight hormone is really there to protect you. It increases heart rate so that your muscles get more oxygen, but it also drastically decreases the blood supply to your stomach and intestines. The sudden loss of blood causes those butterflies in your stomach.
Deep in the distal gut live trillions of microbes. They help you break down certain types of carbohydrates and even product vitamins. But given that most of your serotonin receptors are in your gut, these microbes can also alter your mood. They do so by producing chemicals that stimulate these receptors and send messages up to your brain via the Vagus nerve. Next time you have a gut feeling about something, go with it. There are lots of tiny voices in there trying to talk to you!
Everything that you consume must go through your liver first before it is allowed into the bloodstream. Remember in biology class your teacher talked about your intestines absorbing food? These nutrients are dumped into the express highway that goes straight to your liver (the hepatic portal). All those cleanse diets STILL must go through your liver! So, this year, save yourself some money on juice cleanses and celebrate your working liver with our liver!
Not many places inside your body have direct contact with outside air, except for your lungs. These expandable organs are constantly experiencing the outside world. And even when you’re someplace with less than stellar air, they keep on working to try to extract as much oxygen as possible.
We can’t talk about organs without talking about brains. As this newsletter is being written, we’re very well aware that our brains are directing our muscles to move and form thoughts on the computer about… itself. Everything that you are is in your brain. All your potential is marinating in your brain. It’s the organ of logic, reason, emotions, and the essence of you.
This Christmas, shop our online store to find the perfect gift for that special science lover in your life. From brainiacs to those who make decisions based on their gut feelings, we have an organ for everyone!
written by Science with Evie
