Final answer:
The body cools itself through the process of evaporation, where sweat is converted to a gas which removes heat from the body.
Step-by-step explanation:
The body's natural cooling mechanism, in which sweat is converted to a gas, is called evaporation. When we sweat, the liquid on the skin's surface turns into vapor, removing heat from the body and thereby cooling it down. This process is critical for maintaining body temperature, especially during exercise or in hot environments.
Evaporation is an endothermic process that requires a significant amount of energy to convert water from liquid to gas. This energy is taken from the skin, which cools as a result. Notably, the effectiveness of evaporation as a cooling mechanism depends largely on the relative humidity of the environment; lower humidity allows for more efficient evaporation and cooling.