9 Data about human language and its curious capabilities (you can test it yourself)

The tongue is a super important organ that most people don’t pay much attention to. It directly interferes with food and speech and still has several interesting characteristics, in addition to being the strongest and most flexible part of the human body.

At the awesome.club, we want to share with you some curious facts about the language that caught our attention.

Although it seems hard to believe, of all the parts of our body, the tongue is the strongest. It is made up of 17 muscles. In addition, it is the most flexible organ.

Each language is unique and its “impression” is different on each human being. For this reason, it can even be used as an identification element — and there are already studies for the development of biometric readers capable of “reading” the organ and, in this way, verifying the identity of a person. Can you imagine sticking your tongue at a scanner at the airport instead of using your thumb?

Scientists are still trying to come up with a logical explanation for why some people just can’t form a “u” with their tongue — while the vast majority are able to do so. The main theory about it suggests that it is a genetic issue, although some studies have already shown that certain parents cannot make the “u” while their children have this ability. After all, what does this “gift” depend on? We don’t know yet, but we bet you’re taking the “test” right now.

Almost all voluntary muscles (those whose movement depends on our will, which excludes, for example, the heart) are susceptible to exhaustion. The legs hurt if we practice a lot of physical activity. The same happens with the back when we have a bad posture. The exception is it, the tongue, the only voluntary muscle group that doesn’t get tired when used. Is that why some people talk non-stop?

Due to the misinterpretation of a thesis, for many years the idea of ​​the famous “taste map of the tongue” prevailed – according to which, for example, the sweet taste is detected only in the front and the bitter, in the background.

This idea, in which many people still believe, came, as we have just mentioned, from the misinterpretation of a scientific work. It was in 1901 when the German scientist David Hänig presented his doctoral thesis suggesting that the organ had more sensitive areas than others. The problem is that the work was illustrated by a graphic that ended up becoming a reference taken to this day as true.

In 1974, scientist Virginia Collings, from the University of Pittsburgh (USA), showed that flavors can be detected by any part of the tongue. What varies from area to area is the intensity with which they are perceived.

It is very difficult to measure your own tongue, but you can test it in a simple way: can you touch the tip of your nose with it? If the answer is “no”, that’s fine, most people can’t do that. But know that Gerkary Blanco Blequett, a young Venezuelan who lives in Florida (USA), manages to do this with ease, as she has the longest tongue in the world (for now), at 11.4 centimeters.

The tongue identifies tastes, not flavors. Is it the same thing? Of course. Try eating a candy covering your nose. Your tongue will tell it’s sweet, but you won’t be able to tell if it tastes like chocolate or strawberry, as distinguishing flavors is a function of smell, not the tongue. If you don’t have candy nearby to take the test, think about how bad it feels when you have a stuffy nose and can’t taste food.

How many times have you bit your tongue? Certainly many, but in a few minutes you tend to forget what happened. This is because, thanks to the saliva and tissues that make up the organ, this is the part of the human body that heals the fastest. But we don’t advise you to take the test, right?

If your tongue is light pink, congratulations! You are healthy. Otherwise, the organ can vary between different tones and each one indicates a different situation. If you notice, for example, that it is very red, it can mean anything from an infection to irregularities in the functioning of the heart. Yellow color indicates stomach or liver problems. White can be the result of dehydration. You can check out this Incredible post on the topic to find out what your tongue is trying to “say” about your health.

What trick did you try while reading the post? Are you able to make the “u” with your tongue? Can you touch your nose with her? Leave your testimonial in the comments section.