1) Appreciate the masters of Anatomy. The REAL masters: Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Leon Joseph Florentin Bonnat, John Singer Sargent, Pierre Auguste-Cot, James Tissot to name a very very few. But seriously - anyone who understands anatomy had to work freaking hard to get there. I spent a countless hours trying to copy this from books and a skeleton model. They can just pull it out of their heads! No shortcuts, but it's worth it.
(^I wish I could do that. This is John Singer Sargent's)2) We're China-doll fragile. Anything can kill us. Changes in our environment, position in the solar system, atmosphere etc = death and destruction. How on Earth are we still alive? And how did we get to be the top of the food chain?? (Aethieism makes me laugh.)
3) Females are much more...cushioned males. That's not new, but I never realized how drastic the difference was. The comparative picture in my anatomy bookis almost comical. Males have a total of seven fat pads (not counting feet, hands or cheeks). Seven TINY ones - a couple around the knee, under the gluteus maximus, one over the pubis, and two on the trunk. Females have thirteen HUGE ones. Since they're colored in pink they look kind of like globual aliens trying to take over the body. Ergo - why the female form has gentler curves and more dynamic proportions.
And why it is phenomenally more impressive when a girl gets a six pack. They have to work through a whole extra layer of fat before they make it visible!
(^also ergo - why James Tissot painted only women. Although the fun dresses may have had something to do with it too...)
(^also ergo - why James Tissot painted only women. Although the fun dresses may have had something to do with it too...)4) The ingenious mechanics of the shoulder girdle (i.e. clavicle, scapula, and maubrium) are what allow such great arm flexibility. Fun experiment: raise your arm until its straight out and your scapula won't move. Beyond those 90 degrees, though, your scapula takes over control of the movement.
5) The knee is pretty complex. The patella on top is encased in tendons and makes sure we don't pinch all the leg muscles that converge there when we bend/straighten our leg. There are a couple fat pads in that area to allow smoother functioning too. The combination - all the muscles, fat pads and bone is what makes the complex form of folds and furrows. All of it is necessary, though. It's a very important joint.
6) The last two ribs are just floating...apparently without purpose. heh.
7) The last bones of our cocyx are also completely useless. (Tail remnants maybe?)
8) The Pelvis is really just a basket of organs with the rectus abdominas holding them all in.
9) The swim suits models wear at BYU have become ten times more annoying. I never recognized how intrusive they were. An aside: The swimsuits is not a church thing. First Presidency is okay with it. It's a rule instituted because someone a while back thought that nude models were pornographic. Stupid person.
10) Overall - the Human Figure is just amazing. And the more I study it, the more amazing it gets. They really are divine designs.
