The “World’s Fastest Human” and Experts on Our Need for Speed

Since our distant forebears first leaped from high rocks into water, tamed horses, or strapped strips of wood to their feet to slide down snowy mountainsides, humankind has found speed thrilling—and sought to go faster. But there’s a low limit to what we can achieve organically. It’s probably around 120 mph, the rate the average human body reaches in free fall after 12 seconds or so, but to do that without an aircraft, you’d need a very tall cliff to jump off and supplementary…