FlipFact of the Day: Our noses and ears don’t stop getting bigger as we age.
At around the age of 21, you reach your maximum height, and most of your body parts stop growing in size.
Your nose and ears, however, are a different story. As these are made of firm yet flexible cartilage, the nose and ears get heavier and less elastic with age. And since there are no blood vessels in cartilage, these parts of your body can’t heal themselves.
With the passage of time and the continuous pull of Earth’s gravity, your nose and ears droop, making them increase in size. In fact, your ears sag approximately 0.0087 inches every year.
Today’s Science History Milestone: On September 8, 1588, French polymath Marin Mersenne, an ordained priest who is perhaps best known for Mersenne primes (prime numbers that are one less than a power of two) and Mersenne’s laws (which describe the frequency of oscillation of a stretched string), was born.
Still remember your 5th-grade science classes? Test your knowledge and see if you still remember these facts and fundamental concepts in human anatomy, biology, botany, and other branches of science. Click here to try the “Are You Smarter Than A Pinoy Fifth-Grader” Challenge.
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Cover: IMGBIN
References
- https://insh.world/
science/ whydoourearsandnoseneversto pgrowing/ - theguardian.com/
lifeandstyle/shortcuts/ 2013/jul/17/ big-ears-grow-as-we-age
Author: Mikael Angelo Francisco
Bitten by the science writing bug, Mikael has years of writing and editorial experience under his belt. As the editor-in-chief of FlipScience, Mikael has sworn to help make science more fun and interesting for geeky readers and casual audiences alike.
