physiology
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Rare Mutation Among Bajau People Lets Them Stay Underwater Longer
The Bajau people of Malaysia and the Philippines are renowned for their free-diving abilities, often working eight-hour shifts in search of fish and other sea critters. Underwater sessions can last upwards of two minutes, with accumulated daily totals of breath-holding often reaching five hours. New research suggests these impressive feats aren’t the result of training,…
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Scientists Have Finally Figured Out Why Chimps Are So Damn Strong
Humans may have big, bulbous brains, but when it comes to pure muscle power, we’re often considered the weakest of the great apes. Even chimpanzees, who are significantly smaller than us, exhibit levels of strength that are practically super-human by our standards. New research shows the degree to which our primate cousins are stronger than…
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Thanks, Space, For Making These Astronauts Nearsighted
We know that astronauts’ bodies are heavily impacted by their time in space, but as more of them come back to Earth following longer and longer stays without gravity, more issues are going to arise.
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What Would Happen To Your Voice If You Just… Stopped Talking?
What if tomorrow you woke up and decided that you were going to stop speaking? Not for a day, not for a week — but for, say, twenty years. What effect would if have on your body? What effect would if have on your mind?