I think if the parent knew it to be debunked, they certainly wouldn't have made that claim. This was a fact (AFAIK) that I was aware of before as well. A quick

I think if the parent knew it to be debunked, they certainly wouldn't have made that claim. This was a fact (AFAIK) that I was aware of before as well. A quick Googling provides large amounts of resources suggesting it's true. Article in Nature: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/11/041123163757.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/11/041123163757.h... NYT: https://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/27/health/27well.html https://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/27/health/27well.html Harvard: https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2007/04/humans-hot-sweaty-natural-born-runners/ https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2007/04/humans-hot-sw... And, again, many more from a quick Googling.