For all its wonder, the human body is a flawed life form. We can't fly like birds or breathe underwater like fish. We can't run like cheetahs, see like hawks, sniff trails like bloodhounds. Parrots live longer. Elephants grow larger.
Giraffes stand taller.
Unlike other animals, we require protection from the elements. Lacking fur coats, we cannot live naked in Bismarck, N.D., in January. This is not to fault God for the magnificent design he created on the sixth day. Editors at the Arizona Republic decided to ask people from various fields to envision a prototype of a new human body, probing the minds of a writer, a chef, engineers, architects, designers, physicians, a personal trainer, an expert about evolution and an imaginative child. But they cheated a little, giving most of our experts weeks to come up with their designs.