Do you know about the human skeleton? 💀

00:00:00
Speaker 1: You're listening to sleep Tight Science. Did you know that if you could take out all the bones in your body, you'd be like a jellyfish with no way to stand up or move around. What Hello, friends, and welcome back to sleep Tight Science, a bedtime show that answers your questions about science. In this episode, we'll learn all about the human skeleton, the framework of two hundred and six bones that give our body.

00:00:55
Speaker 2: Shape, support us, and help us move.

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Speaker 1: We'll explore how the skull, ribcage, and spine protect our most important organs, and how our bones change as we grow. You will also find out how the skeleton is divided into the axial and appendicular skeletons, each playing a key role in helping us move and stay safe. Finally, we'll learn why skeletons are used as symbols for Halloween, bringing some spooky fun into the holiday. The human skeleton is an incredible part of our body. It's like our very own built in framework. Without it, we'd be a pile of squishy muscles.

00:01:52
Speaker 2: And skin with no way to move or stand up.

00:01:57
Speaker 1: The skeleton is made up of two hunts dridden six bones, although when we're babies we have more These bones fit together perfectly to give us shape and protect the most important parts of our body, like our brain, heart, and lungs. The skull, spine, and ribcage make up eighty of the two hundred and six bones in your body and are part of what we call the axial skeleton. This group of bones forms your body's core structure, helping protect your brain and organs. The rest of your bones belong to the appendicular skeleton, which includes your shoulders, arms, hands hips, legs, and feet, all the parts that help you move, lift, and get around.

00:02:58
Speaker 2: So what does this skeleton do exactly?

00:03:03
Speaker 1: While for starters, it gives our body its structure, kind of like the frame of a house holds everything together, our bones also help us move thanks to our joints like knees, elbows, and wrists.

00:03:20
Speaker 2: Our skeleton works with.

00:03:21
Speaker 1: Muscles to allow us to run, jump, and even wiggle our fingers. And don't forget about protection. Your rib cage acts like a suit of armor for your heart and lungs, while your skull keeps your.

00:03:39
Speaker 2: Brain safe and sound.

00:03:43
Speaker 1: But why is the skeleton so important? Besides helping us move and giving us our shape, it also does something really cool. It helps make blood inside some of our bones, like the ones in your.

00:04:01
Speaker 2: Hips and legs.

00:04:02
Speaker 1: There's a special part called bone marrow, which creates new blood cells and keeps our bodies healthy. Did you know that you can't feel pain in your bones? The hard, dense part of the bone, called the compact bone, is made mostly of calcium and minerals, so it doesn't feel pain. But surrounding the bone is a thin layer called the periosteum, which is full of nerves and can feel pain. When a bone breaks, the nerves inside the bone send a message to the periostium, which then tells your brain that something is wrong. If the break is really bad and tears the periostium itself, that's when it hurts the most. The skeleton may seem a little spooky around Halloween, but it's really a hardworking, amazing system that keeps us going every day. Did you know your bones are about five times stronger than steel pound for pound, bones are incredibly tough. The skeleton plays a crucial role in protecting the most important and delicate parts of our body, our organs. It's like a built in suit of armor, providing protection while still allowing us to move freely. Let's take a closer look. First, we have the skull. The skull is a thick, bony case that surrounds and protects the brain, one of the most important organs in the body. Our brains control everything we do, from thinking and feeling to moving and breathing. The skull also protects the eyes and ears, shielding them from injury.

00:06:28
Speaker 2: Next, there is the rib cage.

00:06:32
Speaker 1: The rib cage is like a bony cage that wraps around your heart and lungs. These are vital organs that keep you alive. Your heart pumps blood, and your lungs allow you to breathe. The rib cage, made up of twelve pairs of ribs, protects these organs from damage if you fall, get hit, or bump into something. The spine, also called the vertebral column, protects the spinal cord. The spinal cord is a long bundle of nerves that sends messages between your brain and the rest of your body, allowing you to move and feel. The spine is made up of small bones called vertebrae that stack up to create a flexible yet strong structure protecting the spinal cord. Inside the last part of the skeleton that we will look at is the pelvis.

00:07:38
Speaker 2: The pelvis or hip bones forms.

00:07:40
Speaker 1: A sturdy base that protects your bladder and reproductive organs. These bones are also important for supporting your body weight and helping you stand, walk, and run. Each part of the skeleton is designed to shield and support the organs it surrounds ensuring that the soft, delicate organs inside our bodies stay safe while we go about our day. Have you ever bumped your head and felt that strange ringing sensation, or maybe you've wondered why your head doesn't just break every time you hit it. Let's look closer at what's going on inside your skull when you knock it and how your body protects you. Your skull is built to protect your brain, and it's designed to absorb some of the shock when you take a hit. The bones of your skull are connected by seams called sutures that allow a bit of flexibility to help reduce the impact. Plus, your brain has extra layers of protection. It's wrapped in three layers of tissue and floats in cerebrospinal fluid, which acts as a cushion for your brain. Even with all this protection, your brain can still be injured. Think of it like a church bell. When it is struck, the sound and energy spread across the bell. When your head is hit, the energy from the blow spreads across the bones of your skull. As the shockwave passes through the seams where the bones meet, some of the force is absorbed, helping to lessen the impact. If the hit is mild, the force is absorbed by your skull and protective layers, leaving you with nothing more than a bit of ringing in your head. But don't worry. In most cases, your body does a great job of protecting you, and after a short time you'll be back to feeling just fine. Your skull is tough and it's built to keep you safe. Did you know Babies are born with about three hundred bones, but as they grow, many of them fuse together, leaving adults with only two hundred and six. As we grow from babies to adults, our skeleton goes through some amazing changes. When we are born, we have about three hundred bones. These bones are smaller and more flexible because they help us fit through the birth canal and allow for lots of growth. Over time, many of these bones fused together to make the two hundred and six bones that adults have. For example, the bones in your skull and spine start out as separate pieces, but as you grow they join together to become stronger and sturdier. One big reason our bones change as we grow is that our bodies need to become stronger to support our height and weight. Your bones are constantly growing longer and thicker until you reach adulthood. This is thanks to something called growth plates, which are special areas near the ends of long bones, Like the bones in your arms and legs. These growth plates are where new bone tissue is added, allowing your bones to get longer and your body to get taller. Not only do your bones grow and fuse together, but they also change in terms of strength. When you're young, your bones are a bit more flexible, which helps you avoid serious breaks. As you get older, your bones become harder and stronger to support more weight and movement. By the time you're fully grown, your skeleton will be strong enough to carry you through all kinds of adventures, from running and jumping to climbing and dancing. Your bones do an incredible job of adapting to your body's needs as you grow. Did you know that skeleton costumes are one of the easiest Halloween outfits. All you need is black clothing and white bones painted or printed on them to look spooky and cool. At the beginning, we mentioned skeletons are spooky at this time of year. Have you ever wondered why skeletons are used as symbols for Halloween. Halloween is all about celebrating things that are a little spooky or mysterious, and skeletons fit right into that. The tradition of using skeletons and spooky symbols at Halloween comes from an ancient festival called Sowen, celebrated long ago. People believe that during Solowen, the line between the living and the spirit world was a little thinner, and they would honor the dead and light bonfires. Over time, these ideas turned into the modern Halloween we know today, with skeletons becoming a fun part of the decorations.

00:14:13
Speaker 2: But don't worry.

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Speaker 1: While they may look spooky, the skeletons we see at Halloween are usually meant to be more fun than frightening.

00:14:24
Speaker 2: They've become a playful.

00:14:25
Speaker 1: Way to celebrate the holiday and add a little extra creepy, cool to costumes and decorations. Have you ever dressed up as a skeleton? In this episode, we learned that the skeleton is the framework of bones that gives our body shape, supports us, and helps us move. It's made up of two hundred and six bones, although babies have more when they're born, and protects important organs like the brain, heart, and lungs. The skull protects our brain, while the rib cage guards our heart and lungs. The spine keeps our spinal cord safe, and the pelvis protects organs like the bladder and reproductive organs. As we grow, our skeleton changes. Babies start with about three hundred bones, but as they grow, many of these bones fuse together, leaving adults with two hundred and six bones. Growth plates help bones grow longer and stronger until we reach adulthood. We also learned that the skeleton has two parts, the axial skeleton, which includes the skull, spine, and rib cage, and the appendicular skeleton, which includes the arms, legs hips, and shoulders. Together, these bones allow us to move, bend, and lift. Finally, we discovered that skeletons are often used as symbols for Halloween because they represent mystery and spookiness. This tradition dates back to the ancient festivals like Slwyn, but today skeletons are mostly seen as a playful part of Halloween costumes and decorations. Thank you to Camden from Reno, Nevada who introduced our show you were super Awesome. Thank you to Elizabeth Frye five years old from San Anselmo, California, Emery age five from Rosemont, Minnesota, Kit six years old from Chicago, nico In Hillsboro, Oregon, Logan J. Goddard, age six from Terrace, BC, Canada, Penny nine years old from Singapore, Connor Frye seven years old from San Anselmo, California, Loewen from Alberta, Canada, and Freya who is almost seven in Olympia, Washington. We would love to hear from you. Ask your parents to help you. Write us a note to the email address in our show notes. You can also visit our website and send a message that way. Also be sure to leave us a rating or a comment. Wherever you listen to our podcast, we love to get your feedback. If you want to make sure you get all the episodes. Please ask your parents to follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or all the other cool ways you can follow us.

00:18:08
Speaker 2: If you'd like to.

00:18:09
Speaker 1: Send us your questions, please send them to Hello at sleeptightscience dot com. Did you know that your brain can go on amazing adventures When you sleep? You might dream about some of the cool things we talked about, like flying through the clouds, watching raindrops fall, or even floating.

00:18:34
Speaker 2: On a big, icy glacier.

00:18:38
Speaker 1: Maybe you'll explore how the skeleton protects your organs, or imagine being a scientist discovering why ice cracks when it melts. Your dreams can take you anywhere, and who knows, maybe tonight you'll dream about uncovering something new and exciting in the world of science. Good Night, Sleep tight.