10. sweating

Return to History 8 Human Origins Vocabulary

Sweating is the way in which humans regulate their body temperature, this does not have to do with modern day air conditioning and heat, sweating is how even prehistoric humans would make sure that they did not become over heated. The National Library of Medicine defines sweating as "the release of liquid from the body's sweat glands. This liquid contains salt." Sweat can also called perspiration. While most animals use panting to regulate their body heat, humans and our ancestors use sweating because sweating allowed humans to gain stamina. Sweating enabled our ancestors to hunt in the hottest part of the day and go for longer periods of time. Sweating is just one of the many adaptations that gave our ancestors dominance and superiority over other animals.

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By: Anna-William Kornberg

Sources:

Manual Page- 20

"Sweating." U.S. National Library of Medicine. PubMed Health, 24 Apr. 2013. Web. 8 Oct. 2014. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0003702/>.