Slugs and Snails and Puppy-dog Tails... Quiz

Answer: Nerves

Nerves in our bodies carry messages to and from our brain all day. They let the brain know what we are seeing, tasting, smelling, hearing and feeling. The messages travel very fast and the quickest have been measured as travelling at 400 kilometres per hour (250 miles per hour).

Answer: A nerve that hurts when hit.

When someone hits their elbow they feel pain and sometimes it tingles too; this is referred to as the "funny bone". This is actually a reaction caused by a nerve that runs just under the skin over each elbow and not by the bone at all. So, funnily, the funny bone is not a bone and causes pain, not laughs!

Answer: Body hairs stand up when it is cold.

You can see this in animals whose fur stands up when they are cold. This traps air in the hair and helps to keep them warm. In humans this still happens but we just end up with goosebumps as we don't have enough hair to trap a layer of air.

Answer: A muscle feeling tight and painful.

Muscles need oxygen but they can't always get enough and this results in a build-up of chemicals that trigger pain and spasm. When you rest the pain often gets better and rubbing also helps.

Answer: True

A typical sneeze can shoot out thousands of droplets at a speed of 150 kilometres per hour (about 100 miles per hour), as far as a metre and a half. Always cover your nose when you sneeze to stop any germs from spreading.

Answer: All of these

Your tongue is covered with tiny little bumps called taste buds. They send messages to your brain to let you know what the things you are eating taste like.

Answer: Your ears send your brain the wrong message.

Your ears have a watery liquid in them which swishes about when you spin around. Special nerves pick up this movement and tell your brain that you are spinning, but when you stop your brain does not know that you have stopped because the liquid is still swishing. Then you fall over.

Answer: So your body can grow and mend itself.

Your body doesn't have much to do when your are asleep so it has time to grow and repair. Babies sleep most of the time because they are growing so quickly.

Answer: Yes

Blinking spreads tears across your eyes all the time to stop them drying out and getting sore. Everyone blinks thousands of times every day.

Answer: Appendix

Although some body parts such as the tonsils and spleen are not essential for survival they do appear to have some purpose. The appendix, however, does not appear to have a function in humans and is mainly noticed when it gets infected and causes a lot of damage.