Important information on your bones
1. When you're born, you have about 300 bones. By the time you're a grownup, you've only got 206. The reason: As babies grow, some of their bones fuse together.
Some infant bones are made entirely of soft, flexible tissue called cartilage that’s slowly replaced by hard bone as the baby develops.
They usually stop growing by the time you're a young adult, but they keep changing. As you age, bones lose density and get thinner and easier to break. You can help keep them healthy by getting plenty of calcium and vitamin D, and by doing exercises that keep you on your feet.
2. Bones have a few different jobs. They give our bodies structure and allow us to move. They protect our organs from damage -- your skull protects your brain and your ribs protect your heart, lungs, and liver. Your bones also make red blood cells, which carry proteins and oxygen to tissues, and white blood cells, which help fight infections.
3. All our bones are connected to one another except the hyoid, a U-shaped bone at the base of your tongue. It's the only bone that isn’t connected to another one.
4. Most toes have three tiny bones, but your big toe only has two. You also have three bones in each of your fingers, but only two in each of your thumbs.
5. A tiny bone behind your eardrum is the smallest one in your body. It’s called the stirrup, and it’s only 2.5 to 3.3 mm long. That’s not much bigger than a fruit fly.
6. The longest and strongest bone is your femur, which goes from your pelvis to your knee. more
Some infant bones are made entirely of soft, flexible tissue called cartilage that’s slowly replaced by hard bone as the baby develops.
They usually stop growing by the time you're a young adult, but they keep changing. As you age, bones lose density and get thinner and easier to break. You can help keep them healthy by getting plenty of calcium and vitamin D, and by doing exercises that keep you on your feet.
2. Bones have a few different jobs. They give our bodies structure and allow us to move. They protect our organs from damage -- your skull protects your brain and your ribs protect your heart, lungs, and liver. Your bones also make red blood cells, which carry proteins and oxygen to tissues, and white blood cells, which help fight infections.
3. All our bones are connected to one another except the hyoid, a U-shaped bone at the base of your tongue. It's the only bone that isn’t connected to another one.
4. Most toes have three tiny bones, but your big toe only has two. You also have three bones in each of your fingers, but only two in each of your thumbs.
5. A tiny bone behind your eardrum is the smallest one in your body. It’s called the stirrup, and it’s only 2.5 to 3.3 mm long. That’s not much bigger than a fruit fly.
6. The longest and strongest bone is your femur, which goes from your pelvis to your knee. more
Viewed by 15
