Why Men Get Morning Wood And 16 Other Answers You’ve Always Wanted
Life’s just a long list of unanswered questions that we work towards discovering. Most are relatively straightforward and you’ll work out with your own common sense or worldly knowledge – others just induce a lot of shrugged shoulders and are brushed under the carpet as something without an answer.
Well, in steps science to finally answer the questions that were always on our mind.
1.
The curse of the stray grey is a constant worry for most of us, but why do the higher powers smite us so? Hair colour is decided by a pigment inside our bodies. When we get older, however, this pigment runs out which ensures the hair returns to its original, uncoloured state which is either grey or white. This happens at different times for different people. But not to worry, the silver fox looks works well for some (secret crush revealed – Phillip Schofield)
2.
All warts are infections caused by the human papilloma virus, HPV. There are over 100 varieties of HPV, ranging from the highly contagious strains that cause things like genital warts, to the much less contagious kind that causes warts of the hands and fingers. The virus enters the body through a cut or scratch, so put on those plasters people.
3.
I grew up by the seaside and the amount of people I knew that were having a pee in the sea suggests it’s totally ok. But what does science say? Well, according to a survey by toilet paper purveyors, Proctor Gamble, two-thirds of us admit to pissing in the ocean and more than half say they’ve done it more than once. That’s a lot of wee. However, it’s actually not bad for the ocean environment due to what wee actually is: 95% water, with a dribble of sodium and chloride ions, aka salt. Last time I checked, the ocean had plenty of salt and water so a little pea in the sea is basically fine.
4.
What about peeing in the pool? Well, a while back, scientists were up in arms about the potential hazardous chemical reaction that could occur if too many people pissed in a pool. If enough wee reacted with enough chlorine, the reaction could create a harmful chemical called cyanogen chloride, which is effectively tear gas! However, to create such a reaction you would need ridiculous levels of chlorine, and if you swam in that much chlorine – your skin would probably burn off, so don’t worry about the wee.
5.
Everybody starts as a female in the womb. Only after about 60 days does the hormone testosterone kick in for any of us who have a Y chromosome, changing the genetic activity of the cells in the brain and genitals. But those nipples aren’t going anywhere sunshine so you learn to love them for all that they are.
6.
No. While its true that living cells have a finite life span, an organism never simply dies because it’s too old. However, old cells are weaker and more vulnerable to disease and virus. Things that would never affect a younger persons cells could be fatal to an older persons.
7.
If you feel a fart coming on it means your body has excess gas it wants rid off, so you should probably let it do its thing, and hey, it’s only natural. If it’s socially impossible to release your fart then hold it in, but don’t make a habit of it as this can cause bloating and distended bowels. Oh and by the way, you fart when you sleep.
8.
Long story short: your nostrils are actually finely-tuned buddies that work in complete unison. One will do the majority of the filtering and expanding whilst the other relaxes, and then they switch.
9.
Back to wee again. Well, believe it or not this is actually caused by the brain. In moments of extreme stress or anxiety, our brain basically loses control of certain functions, often this can results in one pissing their pants.
10.
There are various theories on this one. Some scientists say that we we poke bruises as a diversion tactic, as it temporarily makes our brain forget about the pain whilst its focus is elsewhere. Others say that with both poking bruises and picking scabs, it’s hard-wired in our DNA from all the way back in our cave-man ancestry days, when it was commonplace to lick your wounds.
11.
Well, you vomit due to one of three reasons: something irritates your brain, something irritates your gut, or something dramatically throws your hormones out of whack – usually pregnancy. In terms of dizziness, your eyes send your brain different signals to the ones picked up by the fluid in your inner ears, and just in case something is afoot – your brain decides to make you throw up, cheers brain!
12.
After a little survey around the office, I have it under good authority that this doesn’t happen to everyone but does to many.
D
espite all those urban myths guys heard as kids like ‘you’re pulling it too hard’, it has absolutely nothing to do with masturbation. The direction in which your penis falls is decided by the ligaments which surround your corpus cavernosum, the blood-filling tissues of the penis. We are all genetically different and thus everyone’s penis will have a slightly different curve.
13.
In a word, no. While its true that living cells have a finite life span, an organism never simply dies because it’s too old. However, old cells are weaker and more vulnerable to disease and virus. Things that would never affect a younger persons cells could be fatal to an older person.
14.
Ever had a sip of your morning latte and suddenly felt a desperate need to find a toilet? Well, most of us have been in this sticky situation. Apparently this happens to 50% of coffee drinkers and the reason why is…coffee relaxes the rectosigmoid colon in your lower intestine, helping your bowels to slip.
15.
On average, men get wood 3-5 times a night. It happens regardless of what dreams you’re having. The reason is, why you sleep your body triggers NPT to stretch out the cavernosum (the parts of the penis which fill with blood when you get a good old fashioned hard-on), NPT is released in the night as it stops bed wetting.
16.
If you’re anything like me, the shower is the time for being a pop star – but why does it feel better to sing here than anywhere else? Well, this one is quite simple: the shower is (almost) always a solitary experience, which means you feel comfortable and relaxed whilst showering. Another theory states that the acoustics caused by water and tiles can enhance a singing voice, and thus people would feel comfortable singing in a shower when they may not elsewhere.
17.
Probably because you drank your bodyweight in booze! But let’s dig a little deeper. Alcohol makes you piss more (wee is becoming a running theme), which in turn makes you more dehydrated. It also increases stomach acid levels which can lead to nausea and vomiting. Lastly, over consuming booze makes your blood vessels dilate, which can cause stress behind the eyes and lead to headaches. Put these all together, and you’ve got yourself a hangover.
Pretty much everything 16 years of education could never teach me wrapped up in about 3 minutes. Did these teach you something you didn’t know before? Let us know in a comment.