Knut Schmidt-Nielsen: 2 ideas worth knowing

2 ideas from Knut Schmidt-Nielsen, each explained in a minute and credited to the original work. Free on Savvy.

A camel's hump stores fat, not water — the myth mattered enough to actually test
The common assumption is that a camel's hump is a built-in water tank, but it's actually fatty tissue, up to 36 kilograms of it, metabolised for energy when food is scarce. Physiol…
— Knut Schmidt-Nielsen, Desert Animals: Physiological Problems of Heat and Water
This desert rodent can live its entire life without ever taking a drink
Kangaroo rats survive in North American deserts on the water contained in dry seeds alone, produced internally when their bodies metabolize food. Kidneys far more efficient than a …
— Knut Schmidt-Nielsen, Desert Animals: Physiological Problems of Heat and Water

Five ideas worth knowing, every week