sky-diving

I heard a sound bite on the tube last week that said that sky-divers can breath while in free-fall without using their lungs. The spot claimed that the oxygen in the air rushing over their bodies was absorbed directly through their skin making it possible for then to “hold their breath” all the way down. sound goofy enough to be true, is it?

Nope.


“To do her justice, I can’t see that she could have found anything nastier to say if she’d thought it out with both hands for a fortnight.”
Dorothy L. Sayers
Busman’s Honeymoon

I hope these skydivers don’t get jobs working for Auric Goldfinger and get killed by having their bodies covered in gold paint. :wink:

Well, in my 250 odd jumps I can honestly say that I never can remember breathing. However, IIRC, my maximum freefall was ~90 seconds. Besides, except for the rare naked jump, people are often wearing jumpsuits, gloves, goggles and possibly helmets,
Larry

Last time I checked, people don’t breathe through their skin.

What a silly story.

From a Cecil column on painting skin:

http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_221b.html

  • Rick