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Authors: Karl Kruszelnicki
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after their trip, and took up rowing instead.
References
Almond, Christopher S.D., et al., ‘Hyponatremia among runners in the Boston Marathon’, New England Journal of Medicine , 14 April 2005, pp 1550-1556.
Chambers, E.S., et al., ‘Carbohydrate sensing in the human mouth: effects on exercise performance and brain activity’, Journal of Physiology , 15 April 2009, pp 1779-1794.
Chatterjee, Asok, et al., ‘Evaluation of a sucrose/electrolyte solution for oral rehydration in acute infantile diarrhoea’, The Lancet , 25 June 1977, pp 1333-1335.
Gerlin, Andrea, ‘A simple solution’, Time , 8 October 2006, pp 40-46.
Guerrant, Richard L., et al., ‘Cholera, diarrhea, and oral rehydration therapy: triumph and indictment’, Clinical Infectious Diseases , 1 August 2003, Vol 37, No 3, pp 398-405.
Guyton, Arthur C. and Hall, John E., A Textbook of Human Physiology , 9th edition, Pennsylvania: W.B. Saunders Company, 1996, pp 43-55, 183-187, 297-313, 833-844, 1059-1070.
Harris, Jason B., et al., ‘Blood group, immunity, and risk of infection with Vibrio cholerae in an area of endemicity’, Infection and Immunity , November 2005, Vol 73, No 11, pp 7422-7427.
Noakes, Timothy David and Speedy, Dale B., ‘Lobbyists for the sports drink industry: an example of the rise of “contrarianism” in modern scientific debate’, British Journal of Sports Medicine , February 2007, Vol 41, Issue 2, pp 107-109.
Place, Nicolas, ‘Go rinse your mouth: a novel way to improve endurance performance?’, Journal of Physiology , 1 June 2009, pp 2425-2426.
Sack, David A., et al., ‘Cholera’, The Lancet , 17 January 2004, pp 223-233.
Sawka, Michael M., et al., ‘Exercise and fluid replacement’, Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise , February 2007, Vol 39, Issue 2, pp 377-390.
Thapar, Nikhil, et al., ‘Diarrhoea in children: an interface between developing and developed countries’, The Lancet , 21 February 2004, pp 641-653.
Wilk, Boguslaw, et al., ‘Effect of drink flavor and NaCl on voluntary drinking and hydration in boys exercising in the heat’, Journal of Applied Physiology , April 1996, Vol 80, Issue 4, pp 1112-1117.
Tangled Hair
(A Knotty Problem)
Considering that we humans are basically hairless apes with a big brain, we spend a lot of time worrying about the small amount of hair sitting on the top of our heads. The money spent on hair products is huge. As a result, hair product companies have—from what I have seen in their TV ads—the best laboratories with the most beautiful and/or manly scientists that money can buy.
So, how did these huge hair product companies not notice that you get more tangles in straight hair than in curly hair? Or if they did, why didn’t they tell us?
Hair 101
The hair on our scalp insulates us long-limbed mammals against heat loss, and protects us from the Sun.
Each individual hair can support an 80 g weight. So if you could weave all of your 100,000-150,000 scalp hairs into a single rope, it could hold up an 8-12 tonne truck.
Each individual hair is a long, thin fibre made of keratin. Keratin is the tough and insoluble protein found in hair, wool, fur, skin, silk, horns, fingernails, porcupine quills, and hoofs—and even some hair shampoos. There are different types of keratin—some hard, some soft.
First, a bunch of smaller amino acids (mostly glycine and alanine) join together to make each individual keratin protein. The shape of the keratin protein is like a helix, or spiral staircase. Four of these helices twist around each other to make a protofibril. In turn, eleven protofibrils are bundled together to make a microfibril, which in turn are bundled together to make a macrofibril, which in turn are bundled together to make a hair shaft.
Each individual hair shaft is made by a single hair follicle. You have about 100,000-150,000 hair follicles on your scalp when you are born—and that’s all you will ever have. Thanks to the nerves that surround each of these
References
Almond, Christopher S.D., et al., ‘Hyponatremia among runners in the Boston Marathon’, New England Journal of Medicine , 14 April 2005, pp 1550-1556.
Chambers, E.S., et al., ‘Carbohydrate sensing in the human mouth: effects on exercise performance and brain activity’, Journal of Physiology , 15 April 2009, pp 1779-1794.
Chatterjee, Asok, et al., ‘Evaluation of a sucrose/electrolyte solution for oral rehydration in acute infantile diarrhoea’, The Lancet , 25 June 1977, pp 1333-1335.
Gerlin, Andrea, ‘A simple solution’, Time , 8 October 2006, pp 40-46.
Guerrant, Richard L., et al., ‘Cholera, diarrhea, and oral rehydration therapy: triumph and indictment’, Clinical Infectious Diseases , 1 August 2003, Vol 37, No 3, pp 398-405.
Guyton, Arthur C. and Hall, John E., A Textbook of Human Physiology , 9th edition, Pennsylvania: W.B. Saunders Company, 1996, pp 43-55, 183-187, 297-313, 833-844, 1059-1070.
Harris, Jason B., et al., ‘Blood group, immunity, and risk of infection with Vibrio cholerae in an area of endemicity’, Infection and Immunity , November 2005, Vol 73, No 11, pp 7422-7427.
Noakes, Timothy David and Speedy, Dale B., ‘Lobbyists for the sports drink industry: an example of the rise of “contrarianism” in modern scientific debate’, British Journal of Sports Medicine , February 2007, Vol 41, Issue 2, pp 107-109.
Place, Nicolas, ‘Go rinse your mouth: a novel way to improve endurance performance?’, Journal of Physiology , 1 June 2009, pp 2425-2426.
Sack, David A., et al., ‘Cholera’, The Lancet , 17 January 2004, pp 223-233.
Sawka, Michael M., et al., ‘Exercise and fluid replacement’, Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise , February 2007, Vol 39, Issue 2, pp 377-390.
Thapar, Nikhil, et al., ‘Diarrhoea in children: an interface between developing and developed countries’, The Lancet , 21 February 2004, pp 641-653.
Wilk, Boguslaw, et al., ‘Effect of drink flavor and NaCl on voluntary drinking and hydration in boys exercising in the heat’, Journal of Applied Physiology , April 1996, Vol 80, Issue 4, pp 1112-1117.
Tangled Hair
(A Knotty Problem)
Considering that we humans are basically hairless apes with a big brain, we spend a lot of time worrying about the small amount of hair sitting on the top of our heads. The money spent on hair products is huge. As a result, hair product companies have—from what I have seen in their TV ads—the best laboratories with the most beautiful and/or manly scientists that money can buy.
So, how did these huge hair product companies not notice that you get more tangles in straight hair than in curly hair? Or if they did, why didn’t they tell us?
Hair 101
The hair on our scalp insulates us long-limbed mammals against heat loss, and protects us from the Sun.
Each individual hair can support an 80 g weight. So if you could weave all of your 100,000-150,000 scalp hairs into a single rope, it could hold up an 8-12 tonne truck.
Each individual hair is a long, thin fibre made of keratin. Keratin is the tough and insoluble protein found in hair, wool, fur, skin, silk, horns, fingernails, porcupine quills, and hoofs—and even some hair shampoos. There are different types of keratin—some hard, some soft.
First, a bunch of smaller amino acids (mostly glycine and alanine) join together to make each individual keratin protein. The shape of the keratin protein is like a helix, or spiral staircase. Four of these helices twist around each other to make a protofibril. In turn, eleven protofibrils are bundled together to make a microfibril, which in turn are bundled together to make a macrofibril, which in turn are bundled together to make a hair shaft.
Each individual hair shaft is made by a single hair follicle. You have about 100,000-150,000 hair follicles on your scalp when you are born—and that’s all you will ever have. Thanks to the nerves that surround each of these
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