Re: AAT:A method to falsify
H. M. Hubey (hubey@pegasus.montclair.edu)
6 Oct 1995 19:33:36 -0400
sstinson@uoguelph.ca (Sean Stinson) writes:
> Actually the hypothermic argument is quite strong. I've
>seen studies that indicate humans without clothes suffered hypothermia
>at temperatures of 20 C. ie. room temperature. These studies were done in
>air which does not conduct heat as well as water. So we can conclude
Ok, let's see.
HOw cold does it get at night even during summer in a very hot
climate such as some desert area such as the Sahara?
In dry air, you won't be able to sleep without a blanket at night
even during the summer and even if you were getting virtually
baked during the day. So then why did they lose their fur
during this time when the savannah was dry?
The bit about hypothermia is a quiet plain effect. Heat generating
bodies will lose heat if the ambient temperature is lower than
the body. The rate of heat loss is proportional to the type
of material through which the heat travels and the temperature
gradient. As heat is lost the body keeps generating heat. At some
rate of heat loss and rate of heat generation there will be equilibrium.
Hopefull the rate of heat generation (i.e. metabolism) won't have
to be too high, otherwise the body will break down.
We'd need to know the temperature of the water in this region
at that time period. It might have been much warmer than today's
water temperature. If so, then staying in the water could have
helped if the air temperatures took a bad dive at night. But we'd
need numbers for calculations.
--
Regards, Mark
http://www.smns.montclair.edu/~hubey
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