Oxygen mystery: How marine mammals hold their breath

[hunter]

By Victoria Gill
Science reporter, BBC News

Scientists say they have solved the mystery of one of the most extreme adaptations in the animal kingdom: how marine mammals store enough oxygen to hold their breath for up to an hour.

The team studied myoglobin, an oxygen-storing protein in mammals' muscles and found that, in whales and seals, it has special "non-stick" properties.

This allowed the animals to pack huge amounts of oxygen into their muscles without "clogging them up".

The findings are published in Science.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22853482

If I was genetically re-engineering myself this is one of the modifications I'd like...

[burrowowl]

1. Cool!

[leftyohiolib]

2. If I was genetically re-engineering myself this is one of the modifications I'd like...

no, wings with which to fly

[hunter]

3. Diving without scuba equipment is almost like flying.

Besides, most of the earth is covered with water.

[leftyohiolib]

5. but the entire earth is covered in air

[Occulus]

8. True, but the artist's rendering here shows it's a roughly equal amount

https://mycotopia.net/forums/general-discussions/55584-image-all-earths-water-atmosphere-compared-planet.html

[krispos42]

4. Think about how much being able to hold you breath...

...for that long would endear you to your significant other!

[Paulie]

6. I was thinking the opposite

I'll hold my breath until I get my way....

[krispos42]

7. You must give to receive...