| MadSci Network: Biochemistry |
Mike, According to uselessknowledge.com: "When we total the monetary value of the elements in our bodies and the value of the average person's skin, we arrive at a net worth of $4.50! "The U.S. Bureau of Chemistry and Soils invested many a hard-earned tax dollar in calculating the chemical and mineral composition of the human body, which breaks down as follows: * 65% Oxygen * 18% Carbon * 10% Hydrogen * 3% Nitrogen * 1.5% Calcium * 1% Phosphorous * 0.35% Potassium * 0.25% Sulfur * 0.15% Sodium * 0.15% Chlorine * 0.05% Magnesium * 0.0004% Iron * 0.00004% Iodine "Additionally, it was discovered that our bodies contain trace quantities of fluorine, silicon, manganese, zinc, copper, aluminum, and arsenic. Together, all of the above amounts to less than one dollar! "Our most valuable asset is our skin, which the Japanese invested their time and money in measuring. The method the Imperial State Institute for Nutrition at Tokyo developed for measuring the amount of a person's skin is to take a naked person, and to apply a strong, thin paper to every surface of his body. After the paper dries, they carefully remove it, cut it into small pieces, and painstakingly total the person's measurements. Cut and dried, the average person is the proud owner of fourteen to eighteen square feet of skin, with the variables in this figure being height, weight, and breast size. Basing the skin's value on the selling price of cowhide, which is approximately $.25 per square foot, the value of an average person's skin is about $3.50." You can see the original article at: How much is my body worth?
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