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Old 01-16-2013, 11:22 PM   #14 (permalink)
niky
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HydroJim View Post
I believe babies are actually more capable of dealing with extreme cold than full grown humans.
Given an unprotected baby can die of hypothermia at just 20 degrees Celsius (about 68 degrees F), no. (One such case happened here, recently)

Yes, the chances of revival after flash-freezing are better than for an adult, but since babies have less mass per surface area, they start suffering from cold a lot sooner than we do. Even in mildly cool weather, a baby's fingers and toes will start getting painfully cold long before you or I would even notice it.

That "survival" mechanism is the baby entering the third stage of hypothermia more easily than adults, which slows down the metabolism. But actually relying on that to keep a baby alive is like relying on your ability to vomit out poisonous food every time you accidentally eat a toadstool in the wilderness. Nice to have, but don't push your luck.

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That said, that's still an egregious waste of gas. From just before landing to debarkation to claiming your luggage to actually checking out of the airport, you're lucky if you can make it out in under twenty minutes.
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