Showing posts with label barnacles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label barnacles. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

The 'National Institute of Health' published an article in 1989 explaining why breststrokers swim faster if they shave down!

"... In a separate group of swimmers (nine who shaved body hair and nine controls), removing body hair significantly reduced the rate of velocity decay during a prone glide after a maximal underwater leg push-off. It is concluded that removing body hair reduces active drag, thereby decreasing the physiological cost of swimming. [Link]

Who knew that body hair was the "moral" equivalent of "barnacles" on a "boat's hull?"

Image from Wikipedia: Photograph taken by Mark A. Wilson (Department of Geology, The College of Wooster). [A beautiful photo as well.]