The Bone Phone

Our skeleton acts as a support system: it keeps us upright, protects our insides, and develops as we do. But scientists have discovered that bones play more than just a skeletal role—they “talk” with the rest of our body to keep us safe and healthy.

Bones contain both bone-building cells (osteoblasts) and bone-breakdown cells (osteoclasts). Osteoblasts not only construct bone but also produce hormones that influence our body’s metabolism. Osteoclasts aid the immune system by regulating antigens in the body, such as toxins and viruses, that trigger an immune response.

Other cells, osteocytes, maintain our bones and aid in the function of organs like the kidneys and pancreas. Osteocalcin, a protein in our bones, communicates with the brain to improve learning and memory.

Our bones touch base with muscle during exercise, strengthening and growing in proportion to the increasing muscle mass. And when our body is fighting off infection, a hormone called sclerostin speaks up, telling our bones to halt their building duties so energy can be delivered to other parts of the body.

Though the fall afflicts us with disease and injury, God designed the body to communicate with itself to keep us in proper shape. He knows just what our bodies need, down to the smallest cell in our bones. And though scientists are still discussing ways bones chat with the body, one thing is clear: our bones have something to say.

This article is from Answers magazine, July–September, 2023, p. 24.