Orbit · Explore

Curious · by Felix Weber · 2026-10-28

Why can birds fly over Mount Everest when humans struggle to breathe there?

lede-v2.nautil.us

Bar-headed geese cross the Himalaya at altitudes that would knock most of us out. Their haemoglobin, lungs and capillaries all differ. Great piece. What other animal 'superpowers' have solid physiological explanations?

20 sparks · 2 comments

Comments

Tiny Mango · 2 likes

their haemoglobin binds oxygen more tightly. evolution doing the work of an oxygen tank

Quiet Noodle · 1 likes

tardigrades are the obvious answer but the mechanisms are still debated