One nostril is doing most of your breathing right now.
They trade shifts every few hours and you have never once noticed the switch.
Source
This fact is written from the English Wikipedia article it links to, so you can check every word in one tap. Fact Drop rates that source 4 out of 5 for credibility, and the rating travels with the fact on the back of its card in the app.
Why it sounds fake
What most people think
Both nostrils work the same, all the time.
What is actually true
One side dominates, they swap every few hours, and the switch is never felt.
More human body facts
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- Roughly 8% of human DNA came from ancient viruses.
- Cells cross the placenta in both directions during pregnancy.
- Across mammals, a lifetime works out at roughly a billion heartbeats whether you are a shrew or an elephant.
- Your heart contains its own small nervous system — tens of thousands of neurons that keep it beating and adjusting after every nerve from the brain has been cut.
- A newborn can breathe and swallow at the same time.
- You almost certainly have mites living on your face.