text: Q:
  
  Humanity With Avian Lungs
  
  In mammals - and that includes us humans - the lungs make up 7% of the total body volume. This allows us to inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide, thanks to the pulmonary alveoli.
  But bird lungs are unrivaled. They make up 15% of the total body volume. Gas does not mix between in- and ex- halation.
  If we humans have a unidirectional respiratory system like a bird's, how would it affect the following?
  
  Athletics
  Vocalization
  
  A:
  
  Athletic performance would obviously be improved though we might sound a bit different. Birds are able to fly for such extended periods of time because their aerobic capacity is so much higher than mammals. 
  Humans with continuous breath so pausing for a breath on an extended soprano high note will be a thing of the past. There won't be a distinction anymore between whistling while breathing in or breathing out since the vocal cords will be serviced by the outgoing trachea. 
  
  