Sweatology+WB

(1) Why is sweat like your personal air-conditioner and why is that important? (2) The human body can tolerate cooling. How much? Give examples. (3) The human body can not tolerate over heating. How much? Give examples. (4) Why do we think humans evolved sweat glands? Give examples. (5) Describe some of the variation in the amount of sweat glands. Give examples. (6) What happens during menopause with respect to sweat? Give examples. (7) What happens as we age? Why is that dangeous? Give examples. (8) Is clothing good or bad when it comes to sweat? Why? Give examples. (9) Describe what happens during heat acclimation. Give examples. (10) Who is "Adam"? Why is he being used for scientific experimentation?

1. Sweat is like the body's personal air conditioner, because it can either heat or cool the body, allowing us to maintain a steady body temperature in different environments.

2. The human body can withstand cooling at -20°.

3. The human body cannot stand up to over-heating. Any temperature over 110° would be fatal in a short time.

4. As humans evolved, we started to have less and less body hair. Sweat glands formed where hair follicles used to be, taking the role of heating and cooling the body.

5. Many factors determine the amount of sweat glands someone will have, such as age, weight, and sex. Heavier people have larger sweat glands. The number of sweat glands ranges anywhere from two to four million.

6. During menopause, the sweat glands send the false signal that the body is rapidly warming. This causes unnecessary sweat and hot flashes.

7. As humans grow older, they tend to sweat less. This can be dangerous, because elderly people are left without a cooling system in extreme heat situations.

8. Clothing will absorb the sweat from the body, and keep sweat from standing on the skin. In World War II, studies found that soldiers wearing heavier clothes sweated 30% than when wearing normal uniforms.

9. Heat acclimation is when the body is able to become accustomed to high-heat environments. During heat acclimation, the body is able to be highly efficient, and while large amounts of sweat are produced, the body continues to feel comfortable.

10. "Adam" is a test dummy that was built to mimic the sweating action of a real human being. "Adam" is used to evaluate air conditioner usage, test heating devices, as well as to test clothing.