One of life's biggest secrets can be found right under our skin. We force ourselves to exercise in the gym, we use food as fuel - and we don't even know what we are really capable of. Can you survive a snowstorm without clothes? How many decimal places in Pi will you remember? A recent publication in USA Science showed some truly incredible research results.
Your mind can warm to cold
Scientists know a group of Tibetan monks, each of whom is able to dry a wet sheet on their backs - in severe frost. In 2013, a group of researchers conducted an experiment in which ordinary people took part. They were taught only some of the practices of oriental meditation, which involve a certain type of breathing. After just a month of experimentation, focus group participants were able to learn how to control their body temperature. It turned out that meditation actually initiates thermogenesis, while inhibiting the body's natural cooling mechanisms, such as sweating and vasodilation. The study, by the way, was led by our compatriot - Doctor of Science Maria Kozhevnikova.
Your knees are meteorologists
Scientists decided to test how the weather affects our joints. It was unexpectedly found that a drop in temperature by 10 degrees causes acute pain in the joints of the elderly. A group of researchers from Tufts University has come to the conclusion that a decrease in temperature provokes a change in the thickness of the synovial fluid - the one that keeps your joints lubricated.
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Your brain remembers everything
Photographic memory is considered an unusual exception to the rule by the scientific community. However, psychologists from Berkeley conducted several experiments that showed that a person is really able to remember any amount of information - it's just a matter of training. Journalist Joshua Foer was the guinea pig: this guy spent a year preparing for the mnemonic championship - and won it with ease.
Your body is super strong
Each of us has the potential of a real Hulk. So, at least, says David Pearson, Ph. D., who has spent two decades researching cases of the manifestation of extraordinary abilities of the human body. The scientist found out that the brain, in an emergency, releases a certain energetic NZ, which allows to show miracles of strength and dexterity.
Your heart predicts the future
Of course, you can't trust your heart to predict the winning numbers on a lottery ticket. However, if you have one in your hands, then the body will react faster than the brain - sweating, nervousness, accelerated heartbeat. Apparently, our subconscious mind knows how to work as a kind of superpower. Moreover, scientists assure that it is quite possible to pump it.