Skeptics Stack Exchange
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Questions tagged [physiology]

Human physiology is the science of the mechanical, physical, and biochemical functions of humans in good health, their organs, and the cells of which they are composed. The principal level of focus of physiology is at the level of organs and systems within systems.

Human physiology is the science of the mechanical, physical, and biochemical functions of humans in good health, their organs, and the cells of which they are composed. The principal level of focus of physiology is at the level of organs and systems within systems.

Physiology is closely related to anatomy; anatomy is the study of form, and physiology is the study of function. Due to the frequent connection between form and function physiology and anatomy are intrinsically linked and are studied in tandem as part of a medical curriculum.

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Does a lobster feel little/no pain when boiled alive?

Image Source I have just read Cracked.com's "9 Ridiculous Cooking Myths You Probably Believe", that claims: [...] because [the lobster's] nervous system isn't very complex, so it's feeling little to no pain. Emphasis added It references an ABC…
Oliver_C
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Does the tongue have different taste zones?

I've seen quite a few of these "tongue maps", showing discrete borders between taste zones and often conflicting setups, like these two: Anecdotally, I can feel all tastes all over the tongue, more or less equally well, so I don't really…
Zano
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Are blue light filters, not blue lights, on phones and computer screens harmful to sleep?

These existing questions ask whether the blue lights, not blue light filters, from computer screens affect sleep: Does blue light from screens (phone, computer, TV) before sleep affect sleep? Does the color temperature of a computer screen affect…
BCLC
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Does one remain conscious after decapitation?

Various articles online claim anecdotal evidence from witnesses that a man's guillotine severed head remains conscious for some time after decapitation (here's an example). Some cite sources that the author no longer remembers clearly, or provide…
luvieere
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Can you get your legs stuck around a pole, leading to cramping and then death?

I came across this video that makes a series of claims based around a position that a person can apparently get stuck in around a pole, and unintentionally kill themselves: Hot girl tied to tree with no rope (Youtube) The video demonstrates and…
Randolf Richardson
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Near death experiences -- clinically dead person "sees" something, later verified to be true?

Related: Is there any explanation for a near-death experience? That question is about vague, light-in-the-tunnel near death experiences (NDEs). This question is about very specific claims I've heard advanced by Dr. Gary Habermas, a Christian…
Hendy
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Does sexual activity burn a significant amount of calories?

Are there any reviews out there of scientific studies conforming or invalidating the common claim that sexual activity is a good way to burn calories? Have quantitative measurements of work exerted (i.e., energy spent) during sex ever been…
F'x
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Can you cause mosquitos to explode from drinking too much blood by flexing your muscles?

I have heard several times as I've grown up that you can flex your muscles to make mosquitos get stuck and explode. Looking around the web, I find several sources claiming the same. Q: If you flex your muscle while a mosquito is biting you, will…
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Is there a correlation between penis size and race?

I recently saw this video, where among other things they claimed that there is no correlation between penis size and race. Is this true? I don't remember everything about the video. It was animated, gave a lot of statistics about sex, and was titled…
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Reading while lying down is more strenuous (unhealthy) for eyes

My friend heard that reading while lying down is more strenuous (unhealthy) for eyes. I like reading in bed (books, tablet). Is there some study that confirms this hypothesis? I use two positions (looking to the book on the side or looking to the…
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Should we drink water before we feel thirsty?

The claim is that we should be drinking water routinely to the point that we never feel thirsty, and that to not be doing so is to our detriment, at least enough for the notion to be popular amongst hikers, gym teachers, athletes and the like. While…
Christopher Galpin
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Did The Lancet publish an account of a woman who did not age?

Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of the Christian Science religion, claimed in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures*, Ch. 8, p. 245:1-15: The error of thinking that we are growing old, and the benefits of destroying that illusion, are…
Robert Columbia
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Can Scopolamine turn people into mindless "zombies"?

Vice did a report about scopolamine dubbing it as the world's scariest drug. The story is that people being given that drug can be told to do anything, similar to some popular claims about hypnosis and the zombie myths in the Caribbean. When I…
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Length of uncoiled human DNA

I recently came across this fact: There's enough DNA in the human body to stretch from the sun to Pluto and back. A couple of "Bollocks!" alarms began to chime in my head. While I expect that it will stretch a long way, Pluto seemed a little…
user7920
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Did an experiment show none of 680 Air Force cadets were of "average" size?

Various workshops given by Nielsen-Norman Group in the User Experience field, mention a specific experiment that involved Air Force cadets. The experiment is meant to illustrate the point that there's no such thing as an "average user", and it goes…
Vitaly Mijiritsky
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