One of my molars is capped in gold and there are titanium screws with a matching plate on one ankle, so I figure I could get more.
this post was submitted on 15 Feb 2026
53 points (89.6% liked)
Mildly Interesting
25291 readers
233 users here now
This is for strictly mildly interesting material. If it's too interesting, it doesn't belong. If it's not interesting, it doesn't belong.
This is obviously an objective criteria, so the mods are always right. Or maybe mildly right? Ahh.. what do we know?
Just post some stuff and don't spam.
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
For that matter, the elements found in a human being is all junk that you can buy in any market with a child's allowence. Humans are pretty cheaply made.
Is this what they mean when they say you should be refined? I thought it was about manners and shit. 🤔
How would I refine the raw materials out of my own body and sell them?
Asking the important questions.
The raw ingredients of a human body would cost over £116,000. But if you’re prepared to do the refining yourself, a body could cost a lot less – under £100 in fact.
If we consider the individual elements, a typical 70kg adult body consists of about 46kg (101lbs) of oxygen, 13kg (27lbs) carbon, 7kg (15lbs) hydrogen, 2kg (4lbs) nitrogen and a kilo (2lbs) of calcium, plus another kilo (2lbs) combined of phosphorus, sulfur, potassium, sodium, chlorine, magnesium and some trace elements.
In his book The Body: A Guide for Occupants, author Bill Bryson calculates the total cost of these raw materials as over £116,000 ($150,000), but he was using the most expensive, chemically pure form of each element.
well yeah. if it was so easy and valuable we would be turning all livestock into elements.
It took me a minute to realize this wasn't "refining a human into raw materials".
Turns out organisms are mostly made up of elements that are very common in the environment, which makes sense if you think about it.
RTFAing puts a serious downer on the business venture the headline suggested I could get Musk financing for.