BRACE YOURSELF
NO, THAT’S NOT A MINI maelstrom tearing up your stomach. It’s one of the most incredible chemical symphonies on our planet: the human physiological response to danger. Your endocrine system dumps adrenaline, dopamine, and other hormones into your blood, which ratchets up your senses (enhance!), and tells your heart to start feeding your muscles extra juice. Your respiration increases to take in more oxygen. Coiled for imminent action, your body is primed to fight—or get the heck outta there. You are now superhuman. At least, temporarily. We share this transformation with animals across the natural world, twirling between routine and high alert. As you examine the causes and effects of this fear dance, you can’t help but notice that one creature’s danger is just another’s afternoon snack. Or, for some aspects…