你了解自己吗？关于身体的12个神奇事实

The temperature affects flavor. Researchers in Belgium found that certain taste bud receptors are most sensitive to food molecules that are at or just above room temperature. So hot coffee may seem less bitter (and, in turn, taste better) because our bitter-detecting taste buds aren’t as sensitive when coffee is hot. Odors influence flavor as well, so even the most bitter hot coffee may taste delicious because of its pleasant aroma; room-temperature coffee doesn’t smell the same.
温度影响口感。比利时的研究者发现，某些味蕾会对处于室温的食物分子更加敏感。由于我们品尝苦味的味蕾在高温度时并不十分敏感，相对而言热咖啡似乎不那么苦啦（当然口感更好）。气味也会影响口感，所以即使是最苦的热咖啡，也会因为它的香气让人觉得美味，而室温咖啡就没这个香气了。

How come you wake up at night to urinate but not to do anything else?
为什么半夜醒来只想小便？

Because the sophisticated, intelligent neurons in your gut that control colon contractions, which push out waste, are also influenced by your body’s circadian rhythm, the internal clock that wakes you when it’s light out and makes you feel sleepy at night. So most people don’t have the urge to empty their colon in the middle of the night. On the other hand, the bladder, which acts a reservoir for the continuous flow of urine produced in the kidneys, can stretch only up to a certain volume before you gotta go. Normally, you can sleep six to eight hours without having to urinate, but certain medical conditions or drinking too much water before bed can wake you to use the bathroom at night.
这是因为控制着结肠收缩的复杂敏感神经元，也会受到人体生理周期（也就是排便规律）的影响，白天生物钟会让你醒来，晚上会让你睡觉。到了半夜，大部分人并不会急着去排便。另一方面，膀胱一直都储存着肾脏排泄出的不间断的尿液流，到了一定的容量，你就需要上厕所了。一般说来睡眠六到八小时是无需小便的，但某种病症或是睡前多喝水则会使你起夜了。

Why do we have fingerprints?
我们为什么有指纹？

Many experts think it’s to improve grip, but a British study from a few years back suggests otherwise. Researchers found that a fingerprint’s ridges actually made it harder to hold flat, smooth surfaces, like Plexiglas, because they reduced the skin’s contact area. Instead, they think our prints might help wick water off our fingertips or allow our skin to stretch more easily, which can protect it from damage and help prevent blisters. Other scientists have suggested fingerprints could improve our sense of touch. What we do know for sure is that no two people’s fingerprints are the same, even among identical twins.
有的专家认为这会增加在抓取时手上的摩擦力，但最近几年英国的调查显示并非如此。研究者发现指纹的脊状反而使人们难抓平滑的表面，比如树脂玻璃，因为指纹减少了皮肤的接触面积。他们反倒认为指纹有可能是能防止指尖的水分流失，或使得我们皮肤更易吸收水分，从而保护皮肤防止起水泡。其他科学家还认为指纹能提高我们的触觉。目前我们确切知道的是：每个人的指纹都与其他人的不同，就算是双胞胎也如此。

Can achy joints really forecast the weather?
关节疼痛真的可以预测天气？

Maybe. A change in barometric readings may be part of the reason: Atmospheric pressure often drops right before bad weather sets in; this shift could cause body tissue to expand, which can lead to swelling and pain. The effect is slight, but people who have arthritic or inflamed joints may detect the difference. Temperature may have an impact too: In 2007, researchers found that every ten-degree drop in temperature corresponded with a small increase in osteoarthritic knee pain.
也许吧，气压变化有可能是一部分原因：坏天气来临时，气压往往会降低，这会导致机体组织扩张，会让人感觉疼痛。这种影响是十分轻微的，但如果有人患了关节炎又或关节受伤，影响或许会增大。温度也是一方面原因：2007年，研究者发现气温每降低10度会增加膝骨关节炎的疼痛程度。