P. Pilgrim
In July 2023 a baby giraffe was born with no hexagonal spots at a Zoo in Tennessee, USA. This is an incredibly rare event, and experts believe that she is the only solid-coloured reticulated giraffe living anywhere in the world. Have you ever wondered why giraffes have such a special hexagonal design on their body? This is not there by accident, it is part of the eccrine system controlling the body temperature of the animal. Giraffes live in exceptionally dry, hot conditions, but they don’t sweat. So how do they keep their body cool? The answer lies in their beautifully patterned skin, which acts like a network of thermal windows. Giraffes can direct their warmer blood to the vessels at the edges of the hexagonal spots, forcing heat out of their bodies. As a result of their large size, there’s so much surface area for that skin, it’s a really effective way of cooling off. Every living creature needs to find a way to reduce the heat. Many animals like lions simply rest in the shade, however some like termites built ingenious ventilation mounds which allows them to live deep underground and still keep cool. Their sophisticated air conditioning system is made up of a system of air pockets creating ventilation via convection. This means that despite the sweltering heat outside, the interior of the mound remains remarkably cool. Elephants, on the other hand, have a simpler way to cool down they simply flap their giant ears like fans. Humans have another way to cool down, they have sweat glands which occur all over the body. Everyone has between 2 and 5 million sweat glands spread across the body. Sweat is mainly water, but it also contains some salts. Its main function is to control body temperature. As the water in the sweat evaporates, the surface of the skin cools. Surprisingly women have more sweat glands than men, but men’s sweat glands actually produce more sweat than women’s. It is even possible to sweat too much, and this is called hyperhidrosis. One type is called ‘Idiopathic hyperhidrosis’ and is the most common form. It is called idiopathic because no cause can be found for it. It can develop during childhood or later in life and can affect any part of the body, but the palms and soles or the armpits are the most commonly affected areas.
The first mention of sweat in the Bible is found in the very first book, the book of Genesis chapter 3 verse 19 ‘In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread,’. Humans were made by God with the ability to sweat as it is important to be able to cool off. Nevertheless, sweat is associated with the punishment of God for the disobedience of man and his fall into sin. When Adam sinned against God, God punished him. Part of that punishment was that he would have to work so much harder to grow his food. Along with that came the physical sign of that hard labour, the sweat that would come upon his forehead. Every time Adam felt the sweat, he was remined that he was a sinner. Today man can still see that physical sign and it continues to remind him that he is a sinner. That he breaks the laws of God. The Holy Scripture speaks of the high priest who had to wear linen clothes, so as not to cause sweat when he went into the presence of God in the tabernacle, Ezekiel 44 v 18. Sweat continues to be that physical sign that human’s sin and disobey God. You are a sinner but God says in first John chapter 1 verse 9 that, ‘If we confess our sins, he (the living God) is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
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