What Is a Scientific Process by Which Heat Kills Me?

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The sweat is your body's primary mechanism for regulating temperature. When it gets especially hot, you start sweating too much and lose all the salt that you need to stay alive. People who aren't used to heat do things that they think would help them cool down but actually ends up dangerous.

As devastating heat waves like the recent one in China become more common, we’re going to need new ways of talking about them. Vox’s Neel Dhanesha explains a proposal to name heat waves.

This episode was produced by Amanda Lewellyn, edited by Matt Collette, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, engineered by Paul Robert Mounsey, and hosted by Noel King.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained

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