During long baths (or while swimming in a lake or pool) our fingers and toes soak up water like a sponge, which makes them swell. This happens because the top layer of skin (called the stratum corneum) on fingers and toes is more porous than the layers of skin underneath, and thus better at absorbing water. But instead of ballooning up, our fingers and toes shrivel like raisins because of the way the layers of skin are connected: The top, swelling layer of skin is connected underneath to tissue that does not swell, so the skin buckles to accommodate the increased surface area. Once you dry off, the water from your skin evaporates into the air and your skin quickly returns to normal.
- How does the body cool off?
- Why do some people have freckles?
- Why do people have different color skin?
- Which hair grows the fastest?
- How many hairs do I have on my head?
- What is pus?
- Why do scabs form?
- Who invented the earliest milking machines?
- What causes a bruise?
- Which is the body’s biggest organ?
- How much air does a person breathe in a lifetime?
- Are the lungs connected to my voice?
- How do people breathe in and out?
- Does the brain feel pain?
- How can you measure a heartbeat?
- How many parts are there to the brain?
- What does my brain do, besides think?
- Why is blood red?
- How does the combine harvester help farmers?
- What do plasma, red blood cells, and white blood cells have to do with blood?
