this post was submitted on 07 Jul 2025
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Humans' ability to sweat is something outstanding.
That what I keep saying, but people still seem thoroughly unimpressed by my ability to sweat profusely the moment I get a little hot!
Interviewer: What would you say is your biggest strength?
Me:
Sweating is such a powerful ability for humans when compared to the animal kingdom. I mean, not only does my sweat keep me cool, I can clear out an entire room with it if it's a little too hot!
Unless it’s a 100% humidity day with a heat index above what is typical
It's just that we're so powerful, we need the extra cooling!
The other advantage we have while running is that we're not constantly slamming our intestines into our other vital organs and lungs because we're upright.
Humans can out-distance a horse. A fucking HORSE. Incredible animal the oul' human.
Speak for yourself, I cannot out distance a hamster lately.
Oh I am most definitely not speaking for myself. Neigh. Not one bit.
I think that's mostly down to our comparatively sedentary lifestyle though. Skinny AF, fit because I've had to run down a horse once a week and mid-20's me could hopefully out-distance a horse. A small cow anyway.
Are you a horse?
Neigh.
Is that really a limiting factor for animals that are not upright? They have to stop going because their intestines slam into other vital organs, and they need a break, lest they get damaged?
One big advantage is that we can run while breathing out of sync with our steps. Four legged running pretty much requires each inhale and exhale to sync with the compression and expansion of the torso with each stride. Humans, on the other hand, can run full speed while taking multiple steps per breath, depending on terrain and fatigue, which gives more options for pacing.
Interesting, that dynamic is in line with the 'radiator' theory of human brain evolution.
From a more recent article:
Edit: ... so, we're not batteries. We're cooling fins.
I saw it in a documentary but it was a good while ago so to be honest I can't remember what the exact mechanism was or if it was just a contributing factor over longer distances. I just remember storing it away as little nugget that made sense when presented.
It's very late here and now you have me curious so I'll probably have a dig around in the morning.
Edit: I don't think it's the break thing though. Organ damage is definitely better than death if you're being chased.