Finally Unveiled: Scientists Reveal Why Sha’Carri Richardson Could (Theoretically) Walk on Water
Sha’Carri Richardson is the fastest woman in the world, and now scientists (in a way) claim that she could run on water, according to an entertaining physics thought experiment.
In a Physics World article celebrating the upcoming Paris Olympics, fluid dynamics specialist Nicole Sharp explored whether it’s physically possible for a human athlete to run on water. The verdict is… yes, though not in practical terms. According to Physics World, several animals can walk on water—most notably the basilisk lizard or “Jesus Christ lizard,” named after another figure famously said to have walked on water (allegedly).
In her article, Sharp discusses how scientists have been examining the basilisk lizard and other creatures capable of moving on water, such as the Western grebe, for many years. These studies concluded that these animals manage to run on water by vigorously slapping their feet against the surface—a term actually used by researchers—to counterbalance their own weight. Notably, one scientist discovered that while grebes can take up to 20 steps per second when running across water, an average Olympic sprinter takes approximately five steps per second.
In a study from the 1990s, researchers at Harvard calculated that for a person weighing 176 pounds with an average foot size and the stride rate of a world-class sprinter to support their weight by slapping water, they would need to hit speeds of 30 meters per second—something that’s physically impossible on Earth. Consequently, in 2012, University of Milan scientists set out to explore if humans could hypothetically run on water under reduced gravity conditions. This research earned them the Ig Nobel Prize in Physics in 2013—a satirical award given to those who pursue questions with little practical significance but remarkable dedication. The experiment’s footage was described as “spectacular” by Physics World.
In summary, years of research have led to an answer for a question few imagined: Could Sha’Carri Richardson sprint on Titan, Saturn’s largest moon? Thanks to Titan’s reduced gravity and Richardson’s exceptional speed, the answer is affirmative. Sharp speculated that she would need to “slap the surface” of Titan’s ethane lakes at 8.7 meters per second; impressively, her world-championship performance has already surpassed this with a time of 9.3 meters per second.
And listen, if we can fund the expansion of the military-industrial complex into outer space, surely someone has the means to make Richardson the first woman to walk—or rather, slap—on a liquid surface. If there’s an altruistic counterpart to Elon Musk out there, please consider our request.
