Health & Human Body

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The Human Machine

We are machines—highly efficient aggregations of cells and organs, blood and bone. From the tiniest cell (we have some 75 trillion) to the most complex system, every part of the bustling human body hums with activity—building, repairing, reproducing, growing. Explore the workings of the human body.

Human Body Topics
Image: The brain inside the human skull

Brain

It gives us the capacity for art, language, moral judgments, and rational thought.
Image: The lungs inside the human body

Lungs

These fuel tanks give us the oxygen our bodies need to function.
Image: The digestive system inside the human body

Digestive System

Food goes in, waste comes out. Simple, right? Wrong.
Image: A cross-section of the human skin

Skin

Without this, our largest organ, we'd literally evaporate.

Did You Know?
Photo: A man sits in a cubicle

Photograph by Thomas Jackson/Getty

Mondays Can Be Dangerous for Your Health

The most common time for a heart attack to occur is Monday morning. The reason? Many workers have a significant increase in blood pressure when they go back to the office after the weekend. The stress of commuting could also be a factor.

More About the Heart

More About the Human Body
Photo: A body with the skin removed on display

Photo Gallery: "Bodies" Cadaver Exhibition

What does the human body look like without its outer wrapping of skin? Take a peek for yourself with these images from the traveling "Bodies" art exhibition.

See the Photos
Photo: A skull on an operating table

Stem Cells: The Power to Divide

Embryonic stem cells may someday help doctors treat ills from paralysis to diabetes. But science must contend with politics before that hope can be realized.

Read More
Image: A screenshot of the Nanosurgeon Game

Kids: NanoSurgeon Game

Doctor, you've been selected to take part in a revolutionary technique for healing at the microscopic level. Are you up to the challenge?

Play Now

Human Body in Our Store
Image: Book, 'Body: The Complete Human'

Book: Body: The Complete Human

Explore the complex systems of the human machine in this new book.

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Image: Video: 'The Incredible Human Body'

Video and DVD: The Incredible Human Body

Follow this from-the-inside-out exploration of the human body.

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