Q 01/05

How many bones does an adult human normally have?

A) About 36

B) About 86

C) About 206

D) About 506

Answer · why

C) About 206

About 206. A baby is born with dozens more, somewhere between 270 and 300, because many bones start out as separate pieces that fuse together as the c...

Q 02/05

Which is the longest bone in the human body?

A) The shin (tibia)

B) The upper arm (humerus)

C) The forearm (ulna)

D) The thigh (femur)

Answer · why

D) The thigh (femur)

The thigh (femur). It makes up about a quarter of a person's height, which is why forensic scientists can estimate how tall someone was from a single ...

Q 03/05

Where in the body is its smallest bone, which is shaped like a stirrup?

A) In the little toe

B) In the nose

C) In the ear

D) In the wrist

Answer · why

C) In the ear

In the ear. Called the stapes, Latin for stirrup, it is the last in a chain of three tiny bones that carry sound vibrations from the eardrum to the in...

Q 04/05

Which is the only bone in the body that is joined to no other bone?

A) The kneecap, in the knee

B) The hyoid, in the throat

C) The tailbone, at the spine's base

D) The collarbone, at the shoulder

Answer · why

B) The hyoid, in the throat

The hyoid, in the throat. This U-shaped bone hangs from muscles and ligaments alone, and it anchors the tongue, which is what lets us swallow and spea...

Q 05/05

Roughly how big is the human heart usually said to be?

A) The size of a grapefruit

B) The size of a closed fist

C) The size of a golf ball

D) The size of a football

Answer · why

B) The size of a closed fist

The size of a closed fist. It sits slightly left of centre, which is why the left lung is the smaller of the two, with a notch in it to make room.