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Hippos at the Nyati Safari Lodge
https://africageographic.com/blog/hippos-really-sweat-blood/

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We need a better solution to this worldwide epidemic! The product I am designing is similar to the way we have harnessed some the properties of botulism to create the wildly popular- Botox. My hippo skin protectant will be injected into human sweat glands and our body's will perspire our own sunscreen. Damage from skin cancer can be fatal and deforming, the hope of the future is a reduction in skin cancer rates, worldwide!

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People have heard of the hippopotamus and perhaps even wanted a hippopotamus for Christmas but would you want to sweat like one? It is uncommon knowledge the hippo secretes a red-orange substance that helps protect their skin.

Mammals sweat to help their bodies regulate temperature but what if we perspired red-orange sweat like a Hippopotamus? Would we be happy or not? Hippos sweat isn’t really sweat but an oil that helps protect their skin. These glands are actually bigger and deeper than sweat glands. Sweat helps to cool the skin but the hippo’s oil also works as a sunscreen and disease fighting emollient. The oil keeps disease-causing bacteria from growing, explaining why hippos’ wounds rarely get infected. And the pigments in the oil absorb the sun’s ultraviolet rays that could cause skin damage, sunburns and even skin cancer.

Photo: Hippos have red perspiration that looks like blood. The pigment protects them from the sun, like natural sunscreen. Marco Pozzi Photographer / Getty Images
https://www.thoughtco.com/do-hippos-sweat-blood-3976013

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Skin Cancer Facts
*About 90 percent of non-melanoma skin cancers are associated with exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun.

*The diagnosis and treatment of non-melanoma skin cancers in the U.S. increased by 77 percent between 1994 and 2014.

* In the past decade (2009 – 2019), the number of new invasive melanoma cases diagnosed annually increased by 54 percent.

* The vast majority of melanomas are caused by the sun. In fact, one UK study found that about 86 percent of melanomas can be attributed to exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun.

*On average, a person’s risk for melanoma doubles if he or she has had more than five sunburns, but just one blistering sunburn in childhood or adolescence more than double a person’s chances of developing melanoma later in life.

* Regular daily use of an SPF 15 or higher sunscreen reduces the risk of developing melanoma by 50 percent.

(skincancer.org)

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We have various sunscreens and sunblock products. But we do not have a naturally reproducing oil. Furthermore, we have all of these products but how many of us are reapplying them every two hours as the product requires? Sunscreen degrades over time, requiring applying more sunscreen. Sunscreen even expires and loses its effectiveness after opening. Even UPF treated clothing does not provide 100 percent protection.

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Original- The oil is excreted from hippos and injection into pig sweat glands to be excreted as an adjunct to their sweat. The animals are treated humanely and are not harmed or in pain.

Changes-

2nd Protype- The pigs do not have many sweat glands, so they were placed on treadmills to encourage sweating. The product was thinned out by using coconut oil due to it antibacterial/fungal properties and to aid in excretion.

3rd protype – The product was thinned out by using coconut oil (50:50) due to it antibacterial/fungal properties and to aid in excretion.

4th protype- The consistency of the serum was too thin and less coconut oil was added. The ratio was changed to 75:25 and the properties that make the oil red were modified and removed. The serum was injected subcutaneously instead of into the pigs sweat glands.

My protype is made from recycled materials including; a used monojet syringe to mimic the medical syringe, ketchup for the hippo oil and water to mimic the coconut oil.

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Other adaptations that hippos have to protect their skin including spending many hours underwater and come out at night to feed. While in the water, they can see and breathe thanks to their eyes, ears and nose located at the top of their head. Secondly, they coat and cover their skin with mud to add a barrier between them and the hot sun. Lastly, hippos have a thick hide that is mad of many layers providing them with added protection.

The four ways that this animal can help humans do something better comes from the ways we can learn to cover our skin to protect it, live in habitats that reduce our sun exposure, heal our skin from damage and living in groups to protect each other.

We can learn from hippos that it is best to take care of our wounds and other skin damage to prevent infections. The hippo’s secretions help to fight off bacteria. The habitats that the hippos live provide protection. The hippo spends most of his day in the water and can breathe and see while submerged. This helps them protect their skin by staying out of the sunlight. The hippos also live in herd like families to protect each other. Humans already do this but the hippos are a great reminder of the importance of behavioral adaptation.

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10 Hippo Facts! (2018, June 1). Retrieved from https://www.natgeokids.com/nz/discover/animals/general-animals/ten-hippo-facts/

Do hippopotamuses actually have pink sweat? (2002, May 6). Retrieved from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/do-hippopotamuses-actuall/

Sohn, E. (2017, October 30). Hippo sweat is natural sunscreen. Retrieved from https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/hippo-sweat-natural-sunscreen