Bone Facts

Bones get their flexibility from tough, elastic, rope-like fibres of collagen.
The hard outside of bones (called compact bone) is reinforced by strong rods called osteons.
The inside of bones (called spongy bone) is a light honeycomb, made of thin struts or trabeculae, perfectly angled to take stress.
The core of some bones, such as the long bones in an arm or leg, is called bone marrow. It is soft and jelly-like.
In some parts of each bone, there are special cells called osteoblasts which make new bone. In other parts, cells called osteoclasts break up old bone.
Bones grow by getting longer near the end, at a region called the epiphyseal plate.
Milk contains a mineral called calcium, which is essential for building strong bones. Babies and children need plenty of calcium to help their bones develop properly.
Bones are so strong that they can cope with twice the squeezing pressure that granite can, or four times the stretching tension that concrete can.
Weight for weight, bone is at least five times as strong as steel.
Bones are so light they only make up 14% of your body’s total weight.
Bones get their rigidity from hard deposits of minerals such as calcium and phosphate.

This entry is filed under Interesting Facts.