Biological adaptations necessary for weaponized (or otherwise made useful) reflux

I have been thinking about which mutants from Marvel are most realistic and Zeitgeist comes to mind. Long story short, his power is weaponized acidic vomit. He can spew it a few meters away at will.

I am imagining a world where rather than superhero stuff, acidic vomit is something that humans have because it has been positively selected by nature. I imagine it would be useful for self-defense against other animals, and it could also be used in blacksmithing between the stone and iron ages (separating metal from rocks, for example).

However, the genes for acid reflux alone would not make a population more successful. Besides a general tendency to snacking close to bedtime and a taste for spicy and fatty foods and alcohol, what other adaptations could enable for acid vomit as a tool or a weapon?

And if you would be so kind... How much vomit could such a human hold and throw at once, and how far could it be thrown if the human body adapted to maximize these parameters?

posted almost 6 years ago

Renan‭

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