Despite the many wonderful things that people can do, we cannot fly alone. But if we could, how big would our wings be?
The answer naturally depends on the size of the person. But someone who weighs about 70 kilos and is at least 1.5 meters long would have a wingspan of about 20 feet (6 meters), said Ty HedrickProfessor of biology at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, “which I found surprisingly small.”
Hedrick came to this figure using a comparison developed by Robert NuddsA senior lecturer in biological sciences at the University of Manchester. NUDDS described this comparison in an article from 2007, published in the Magazine for Bird Biologyin which he describes the scaling of bird wing parameters with regard to body weight.
But in this hypothetical scenario we cannot simply hit a few wings and put an end to it. It requires complete reinterpretation of our anatomy. If we want to fly, we also need other features in addition to wings.
First we have to consider what kind of wings we will have. The classic angelic look portrays a flying person with a huge pair of fed wings that protrude at the back. Anatomically, that would require a separate shoulder blade, Michaël Habibtold a research employee at the Dinosaur Institute of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County at Wordsidekick.com. Those wings would also need flying muscles that wrap themselves from the chest to the back.
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According to Habib, bat -like wings would be more logical for people. In this setup, the entire arm and hand would extend, creating a wingspan of 6 meters. A fleshy membrane wing would cover these limbs.
But in order to actually fly, the rest of our body should produce sufficient strength, which requires strong muscles. In birds, an average of 16% to 18% of their muscle mass comes from muscles used to fly. For some, up to 30% of their muscle mass comes from the chest. This also applies to bats, although the masses are distributed over more muscles. “It is what distinguishes them from the construction of a non-flying animal,” said Habib.
The consequence of this in people creates a funny image. “You will have a breast that puts all the way out,” said Habib, “and a back that is super, super torn.”
The kind of kites that are people would also play a role in this question. “Not everything flies in exactly the same way,” said Habib. “How you fly is determined by your anatomy.” There are a few types of flights and all flying creatures specialized in different typesSuch as fluttering, sliding, floating and floating. Different types of wings are involved in each of these specialties. For example, Habib said that a bird that flutters, shorter, thicker wings during a trip. On the other hand, a floating bird such as an Albatros has much longer wings in relation to its size. Given their relatively large size, people would probably rise.
There is also the issue of taking off, especially with 6 meters long, bat -like wings. With such large wings we would not be able to fly up. “You can’t flutter much if you are close to the ground,” Hedrick told Wordsidekick.com.
Habib presented a so -called quadrupedal launch, or a launch from a position in which all four limbs start on the floor. Pterosaursthose were some of the first vertebrates to develop the ability to fly more than 200 million years agoprobably also walked and left in this way, according to an article from 2010, partly written by Habib and published in the magazine Plos One. Some bats, such as Vampire bats, walking and running on hands and feet also.
Of course, people are evolutionary at a disadvantage. Flying animals have been perfecting their anatomy for flying for thousands of years. “We need many of the other adjustments that birds have acquired over the years,” said Hedrick.
