Before Leonardo da Vinci was a painter he studied anatomy. His mentor, Andrea del Verrocchio, believed that anatomy was essential to the master painter, and da Vinci agreed, writing “It is necessary for a painter to be a good anatomist, so that he may be able to design the naked parts of the human frame and know the anatomy of the sinews, nerves, bones, and muscles.”
Even in the 15th century, scientists and painters alike wondered “what are humans made of?” The question is complicated at the very least, so let’s look at a few different ways of dissecting what really is inside of us all.
Atomically
Really, aren’t we all just a collection of atoms and molecules? For as complicated as humans (and other life) are, 99% of our bodies are composed of just six elements: oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium, and phosphorus.
There are two big ways to look at how ‘much’ of humans is a specific element: mass and atomic percent. The former is simply what percent of the weight in a human comes from a certain element. Through this lens, oxygen easily takes the cake with 65% of our mass! Considering oxygen’s relatively heavy mass (16g/mol) as well as the huge quantities of water (H2O) and oxygen gas (O2) in our bodies, this makes sense.
If we instead look through the latter lens of atomic percent, oxygen is no longer king. In this instance, hydrogen is the most common, making up about 62% of all atoms in our bodies. Hydrogen atoms are in practically all organic molecules in our bodies: fats, carbs, DNA, and proteins. For comparison, nitrogen is the fourth most common element in our bodies, but only makes up 1% of all atoms.
Cellularly
The average human has about 30,000,000,000,000 (30 trillion) cells in their body. Well, 30 trillion human cells. Along with those, there are about 38 trillion bacterial cells. Yes, by pure cell count, we are more bacterial than human! These bacteria are immensely important for all sorts of basic human functions from defense to digestion.
If we just focus on human cells, there are about 200 different cell types. Out of all 200, the vast majority of them are found in our blood. About 84 of every 100 cells is an erythrocyte – also known as a red blood cell. The next largest category is platelets – making up about 5% of our cells. The remaining 10% of our cells are split amongst the rest of the cell types, like neurons, muscle cells, fat cells, and skin cells.
Organ Systems
How much does your spleen weigh? How about an average pinky toe? A series of studies published in 2012 attempted to establish ‘normal’ ranges for major organs in the human body. They used only males, and the average weight was approximately 75 kg (165 lb). Humans like to think of themselves as pretty smart – and if mass is anything to judge by, they are just off. While the average brain in the study weighed 1.41 kg, (that’s 3.11 pounds or about 2% of total body mass) the average liver was slightly heavier – 1.56 kg (3.44 lb)! Other noteworthy heavy organs were the lungs (.84 kg together), heart (.31 kg), and kidneys (.26 kg together).
When we start to look at the various surface areas of organs, the question of ‘biggest’ becomes even more interesting. The common adage ‘the skin is the largest organ’ is very far from true. While the average 70kg man has a total skin surface area of 1.7m2, this is far from the largest. Studies have shown the air-exchanging surface of the lungs to be 70m2, approximately half the size of a tennis court. Furthermore, the mucosal surface of the human GI tract is estimated to be approximately the size of a football field!
Stardust
13.8 billion years ago, the big bang occurred and put everything into existence that ever was or ever will be. Several hundred thousand years after that event, simple atoms began to form, namely hydrogen and helium. Gradually, gravitational forces pulled those atoms together into super-dense, super-hot swirling clouds of particles. Stars begin to form all over the universe, eventually numbering into the billions.
At the center of these stars (and modern stars, as well) is the core – where hydrogen is turned into helium. Massive amounts of energy are released during this process, providing the building blocks for other elements that we know today: carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen. These stars are the ultimate source for every single non-hydrogen and non-helium atom in our known universe. What are humans made of? Through the lens of the big bang, we’re made of stardust!
FAQs
The human body is approximately 99% comprised of just six elements: Oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, carbon, calcium, and phosphorus. Another five elements make up about 0.85% of the remaining mass: sulfur, potassium, sodium, chlorine, and magnesium. All of these 11 elements are essential elements.
What element are humans mostly made of? ›
The four most abundant elements in the human body – hydrogen, oxygen, carbon and nitrogen – account for more than 99 per cent of the atoms inside you.
What are things needed to make a human? ›
About 99% of the mass of the human body is made up of six elements: oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium, and phosphorus. Only about 0.85% is composed of another five elements: potassium, sulfur, sodium, chlorine, and magnesium. All 11 are necessary for life.
What are the elements that were made by the humans? ›
List of synthetic elements
| Element name | Chemical Symbol | First definite synthesis |
|---|
| Californium | Cf | 1950 |
| Einsteinium | Es | 1952 |
| Fermium | Fm | 1952 |
| Mendelevium | Md | 1955 |
21 more rows70% of the human body is made of water (H2O). The cells are made of organic compounds such as carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, nitrogen. Traces of calcium, and phosphorus are also present and about 0.85% of human bosy is composed of potassium, sulphur, sodium, chlorine, and magnesium.
What makes the human? ›
The three traits described are bipedalism, language, and tool making. This video assumes some familiarity with the theory of evolution, the process of how organisms developed from earlier forms of life. Evolution is not a linear process, but a dynamic one.
What is the only man-made element? ›
What are the man-made elements in the periodic table? Technetium, promethium, and the transuranic elements: neptunium through oganesson.
How many elements are human made? ›
How many elements have been created by humans, and how many are yet to be made? Everything beyond atomic number 92 (uranium) is created artificially, as well as number 43, technetium, and 61, promethium. The periodic table is now at 118, oganesson, so that's 26 plus 2 or 28 artificial elements.
What was the first human made element? ›
The name is from the Greek word for artificial, since technetium was the very first man-made element, yet despite the name, technetium is found naturally albeit in tiny traces.
What are 3 things humans need? ›
Human beings have certain basic needs. We must have food, water, air, and shelter to survive. If any one of these basic needs is not met, then humans cannot survive. Before past explorers set off to find new lands and conquer new worlds, they had to make sure that their basic needs were met.
Attempts at another genesis may capture several aspects of lifelike behavior, but none can be unquestionably alive or a novel instance of life built from scratch.
Are humans made of atoms? ›
Atoms range in size from a few tenths of a nanometer to several nanometers across. More than 10 million hydrogen atoms would fit across the head of a pin. Atoms are the basic constituents of molecules, cells, humans, and planets. The human body contains about a billion billion billion (10^27) atoms.
What 4 elements are humans made of? ›
Four elements, namely, oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen, are considered the most essential elements found in our body. Oxygen is the most abundant element in the human body, accounting for approximately 61% of a person's mass.
How are human made elements made? ›
Man-made elements
By smashing atoms together in machines known as particle accelerators, it was discovered that new elements could be made. For example, bombarding atoms of the element curium with atoms of neon made element 106 – seaborgium.
What's a human element? ›
The human element is a generic term to describe what makes humans behave the way they do and the consequences that result. As a subject it is of great importance to everyone in the maritime industry because we all rely on the contributions of each other to succeed in our business.
What are humans made of according to the Bible? ›
Humanity In Genesis 2:7, we find God creating humanity in God's image. God creates humanity in a way that is very different from the way God created the physical world. Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nos- trils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
What is the one thing that makes us human? ›
Without a doubt, the human trait that sets us farthest apart from the animal kingdom is our extraordinary brain.
What cells are humans made of? ›
All living things are composed of cells, which then further subdivide based on the presence or absence of the nucleus, into two types: eukaryotic cells (Greek, Eu=true, karyo=nut, nucleus) - these cells are present in all the human, animal and plants with a clear, distinct nucleus.
Are humans made of atoms or cells? ›
Molecules are the collections of atoms, that is Water is composed of Oxygen and Hydrogen atoms, Proteins are made of Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, and different components. Therefore, the molecules that make up the cells of the body are made of atoms. In the end, it is correct to say the body is made of cells.
