The metabolic magic of sled dogs

Dr. Michael S. Davis has been traveling to Alaska for years to learn why the sled dogs are “fatigue-proof.”

Before the Iditarod, the dogs’ metabolic makeup is similar to humans. Then suddenly they throw a switch — "we don’t know what it is yet — that reverses all of that."
In a 24-hour period, they go back to the same type of metabolic baseline you see in resting subjects. But it’s while they are running 100 miles a day.

They have a hidden strategy that they can turn on,” he said. “We are confident that humans have the capacity for that strategy. We have to figure out how dogs are turning it on to turn it on in humans.”