The wonders of what the human body can endure.

If you have been keeping on top of the news, you know that this week is a banner one for extreme stories of survival.

Thestar.com posted a few stories that are still making my head spin. The first is the story of Arizona man Henry Morello, who survived five days in the desert, stuck in his car, by drinking windshield wiper fluid.

The story is a few days old. But MSNBC show The Body Odd  took a really interesting crack at the scientific side of what drinking windshield wiper fluid could do to a human body, as well as what age has to do with our ability to survive dehydration.

Now for story #2.  Also earlier this week, Andrew Wilson was washed overboard after a rogue wave hit his small motorboat about six kilometres from the shore. The boat kept moving and he had no choice but to swim to shore. It took six hours.

The 25-year-old told the Tweed Daily News that “adrenaline and just sheer determination” were what kept him going.

It made me think of something flat-out amazing that a colleague did recently. It is also a really interesting story about what swimming for an extended period of time does to a body, even someone who is extremely fit and trained for many, many months to prepare.

In August Toronto Star designer Miguel Vadillo swan across Lake Ontario in 18 hours, three minutes and 49 seconds to raise money for charity. You can check out the photos here and read Star reporter Jim Rankin’s story about why he did it here.

Don't have much to add. The story speaks for itself.