renewing atoms of our bodies

conor.hogan.2

Hi.

I have heard the theory that every atom in our body gets replaced every x number of years, but I have never been able to find definitive proof of it.

Does anyone have any answer?

Thanks.

Victor

conor.hogan.2 wrote: »

no atom in our body gets replaced

Did you type that correctly?

There are constant changes going on as we eat, process the food, make new cells, those cells age and die and are discarded.

It would be difficult for every atom to be replaced - things like bone are rather fixed. Even if we were amoebae, I imagine you would find that some of the original atoms in a parent would be somewhere in its children, even years later.

bleg

One of the most amazing and slightly creepy things I find about life is that even though your atoms are completely recycled a couple of times in your life time you still remain you.

conor.hogan.2

ye sorry - that was a really bad typo.

Okay bones remain - but does your brain essentially get replaced over time?

yerayeah

I'd say bone would change it's atomic more than brain over time, since neurons don't generally regenerate a lot and bone is constantly being remodelled.

I agree with Victor that there's some atoms from each parent in their offspring many years later.

I've also heard several times that each of us has 1 millions atoms that were once part of Newton, Shakespeare etc. in us!

Alt_Grrr

yerayeah wrote: »

I'd say bone would change it's atomic more than brain over time, since neurons don't generally regenerate a lot and bone is constantly being remodelled.

I agree with Victor that there's some atoms from each parent in their offspring many years later.

I've also heard several times that each of us has 1 millions atoms that were once part of Newton, Shakespeare etc. in us!

Both Brain and Bone change over time, both on the atomic level and in biological structure.

in terms of the atomic connection to figures of the past... thats a bit different.
Genetically we're all related (We share lineages to Y-Chromosomal Adam and Mitochondrial Eve for example (Just names, they were far from the first humans))
or There is something known as the Genghis Khan Effect, where something like 5% of the population of Asia is descended from Genghis Khan.

On the Atomic level, we connected to the universe.
To put in the words of Carl Sagan, "We're made of star stuff".
The atoms that made up a person are in one way or another are return to the great chemical reaction known as the universe. So it is not unlikely that we are made up of atoms which once formed the structure of another organism at some level....

0lddog

conor.hogan.2 wrote: »

Hi.

I have heard the theory that every atom in our body gets replaced every x number of years, but I have never been able to find definitive proof of it.

Does anyone have any answer?

Thanks.

OP perhaps you already know this but a fine book related to this topic is 'The Third Policeman' ( Flann O'Brien ).
Among other essential matters it describes how a country policeman spends so much time on patrol on his push bike that molecules migrate between policeman and bicycle so that each takes on some of the characteristics of the other

Hope this helps:D

conor.hogan.2

cheers everyone.

I think I should read that book, it seems to keep following me.

Capt'n Midnight

IIRC it's 7 years to replace the atoms in the body (more of a half life thing ?, so not all the atoms get replaced )

persistence depends on the atoms in question , heavy metals are cumulative, but things like Vitamin C might have a half life of only a fortnight or so

Skin is like 7 weeks



And yes like yer man says we are stardust since many of the heavy elements are created by early supernovas. Carbon cycle means more C , N , O than you would otherwise expect.

Always been amazed at how our bio-chemistry is different competing reactions occurring at different rates. Almost all the molecules are under attack, even if it's no more than hydrolysis, but they are being rebuilt at a faster rate. Many bacteria methylate the bases in their DNA, but they have other enzymes to cut DNA that isn't methylated. This is done to protect them from foreign DNA like viruses, but you get the impression of a cell that could wipe itself out.

conor.hogan.2

So most or all of us gets replaced over a period of time but considering they happen at different rates there is always a connection throughout.

ye?

I am getting at the point of if it all changes - yet we stay the say as a poster mentioned above.

Alt_Grrr

conor.hogan.2 wrote: »

So most or all of us gets replaced over a period of time but considering they happen at different rates there is always a connection throughout.

ye?

I am getting at the point of if it all changes - yet we stay the say as a poster mentioned above.

well very small traces of your skin are left behind you as you type on your keyboard. yet, you never notice this.

Cells in your body are dying ever second, yet you never notice that.

Yet with all these dying cells, you, your body still remains.

Improbable

We should probably make a distinction between atoms and cells. Cells are indeed replaced at different rates for different organs etc. but I don't think the atoms are to the same extent. Of course there is loss and gain of atoms and such but there is a lot of recycling of dead cells so the case might be different for atoms than it is for cells.

conor.hogan.2

ok - thanks for the input everybody.