Sweating is a rather unpleasant nuisance. However, we cannot complain. After all, this is how we are supposed to cool our body. The ideal combination would be if, in addition to cooling us sweat served us as sunscreen. But we can’t be that cool, mostly because we don’t hippos.
And yes, oddly enough, these animals sweat their own sunscreen. But the point is also that, if all this was not enough, it also serves antibiotic.
It is clear that human beings are too far from achieving these levels of sophistication. We have only to study them in order to try to accept them as an idea. Actually, this is exactly what the command Japanese explorersthe results of which were published in Nature.
How does sunscreen work?
The sunscreen that we humans commonly use can be of two types: or physical or chemical. Physical filters act as a shield, reflective solar radiation so that they do not penetrate our skin cells.
Instead, the chemicals don’t reflect them, but they absorb them. In any case, the result is no worse, since, by absorbing them, they also prevent them from reaching the cells and can damage DNA.
It is true that people also have natural sunscreen: melanin. It is a pigment that acts in a similar way to how chemical filters, since it is generated in response to exposure to the sun and is responsible for absorbing radiation. However, if we do not apply sunscreen on top, it is of little use, since pigment synthesis is not enough to combat solar radiation. Instead, hippos are pretty good at protecting themselves with their sweat. But how exactly does it work?
Hippo Sweat Secret
For years, scientists have observed that hippopotamus sweat, initially similar to our own, changes color over time, becoming reddish brown.
This led to the suspicion that it may have several uses for these animals. However, until these Japanese scientists explored it, was not exactly known.
When analyzing sweat samples, they found that this color change was caused by the presence of non-benzenoid aromatic compoundswhich are unexpectedly sour and have antibiotic and sun protection.
The protective effect will be similar to that which chemical filters or melanin itself have on our skin. It is quite effective, because when it dries on the skin retains its color for several hours. It then polymerizes to a brown solid.
As for the role of antibiotics, it was discovered by contacting sweat samples with different populations of bacteria. They found that at concentrations lower than those of hippos, these substances can inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa D Klebsiella pneumonia. They are also dangerous to humans. For this reason, its possible effectiveness in the search for new bactericides to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
But leaving aside their possible effects on humans, it is clear that they play a key role in the rapid hippo heals wounds. When injured, these animals, despite contact with dirt and other places where pathogenic microbes can be, defeat possible infections simply by their sweat. No doubt if for us sweating is a blessing that keeps us a little cooler, then for them it is a panacea. To then say that these are not interesting animals.
Source: Hiper Textual
