🧑 Human
Also known as: human being, person
Also a mammal; the only species that milks other animals itself and drinks their milk throughout life.
Humans are mammals too. As with all animals of this class, a baby first feeds on its mother's milk. But humans have one special trait: we drink the milk of other animals — cows, goats, sheep, buffaloes and camels. And we make cheese, butter, kefir and many other products from it. Many people keep drinking milk as adults.
To digest milk, you need an enzyme called lactase. An enzyme is a protein that helps the body break down food. Lactase breaks down milk sugar, lactose. In most people, lactase levels drop after early childhood. According to the US National Library of Medicine, about 65% of people digest lactose less well after infancy.
Scientists call the ability to drink milk easily all your life lactase persistence. It spread widely over roughly the last 10,000 years, together with the domestication of livestock. It is most common among people in Northern Europe and some herding peoples of East Africa. It is least common among people in East Asia and Indigenous peoples of the Americas. So dairy farming and human genes changed together.
What it includes
How it connects to milk
Links
- Belongs to
- 🔬 Mammal
- Who
- 🤱 Mother
- Jobs
- 🧑🌾 Farmer, 👷 Animal scientist, 🧑🌾 Milker, 🧑🌾 Herder, 🧑⚕️ Veterinarian, 🧑🔬 Laboratory technician, 🧑🔬 Dairy technologist, 🧑🔧 Maintenance engineer, 🧑🍳 Cheesemaker, 🚛 Milk tanker driver, 🗺️ Logistics planner, 📋 Freight forwarder, 🛵 Courier, 🧑 Milkman, 📦 Warehouse worker, 🧑💼 Merchandiser, 🧑💼 Salesperson, ☕ Barista, 🧑🍳 Cook, 🧑🍳 Pastry chef, 🍦 Ice cream maker, 🤱 Wet nurse, 🧑⚕️ Pediatrician, 🧑⚕️ Dietitian
- Images and sayings
- 📜 «peaches and cream»
Frequently asked questions
Are humans mammals?
Yes. Like all mammals, humans feed their babies with milk from mammary glands.
Why can adults drink milk?
In some people, the enzyme lactase stays active all their lives. This trait spread over roughly the last 10,000 years, after livestock were domesticated.
How many people are lactose intolerant?
According to the US National Library of Medicine, about 65% of people digest lactose less well after infancy.