Check out ten curiosities about the skeleton by reading this text! We will highlight the functions performed by the bones that make up this structure, in addition to curiosities such as which is the largest and the smallest bone in the human body and how many bones our body has in childhood and adulthood.
The human skeleton is a very important structure, as it guarantees tissue support, protection of some organs, production of blood cells , storage of mineral salts and movement. Formed by several articulated bones, the skeleton is fundamental for our survival.
10 fun facts about the skeleton
- Contrary to what many people think, bones are made up of living tissue. The tissue that forms the bones is a special type of connective tissue, called bone tissue. This tissue has cells called osteocytes, osteoblasts and osteoclasts, in addition to a calcified extracellular material.
- The human skeleton and teeth have 99% of the calcium present in the body.
- The lack of calcium in childhood causes a problem known as It is verified, in cases of rickets, that the bones do not grow normally, and the ends of the long bones are deformed.
- During the development of the fetus, most of the skeleton first develops as a cartilage model, which is gradually replaced by bone, a process called endochondral ossification.
- The adult skeleton has 206 bones, but a child after birth has an average of 270 bones . This is because, after some time, many bones fuse, forming just one.
- The largest bone in the human skeleton is the femur. In 1.80 m people, the femur is approximately 50 cm.
- The smallest bone in the human body is the stirrup,located in the middle ear. It is about 2.6 to 3.4 mm long and weighs about 2 to 4.3 mg.
- The strongest and longest bone of the face is the jaw. In addition, it is the only moving bonein the skull.
- In an adult, the presence of red bone marrowis observed in the sternum, vertebrae, ribs and pelvis , which is related to the production of blood cells.
- The hyoid bone has no joints and is located in the neck, between the mandible and the larynx.