The highest place on our planet, Mount Everest (8850 m), appears to be close to the limit of how high an acclimatized human can go, albeit slowly. In this paper, I will explore the possibility that what limits human performance at such extreme degrees of hypoxia is the availability of oxygen to the brain. Also, one of the known costs of such extreme exposure is residual mild impairment of perfo...

During their migrations out of Africa, humans successfully colonised and adapted to a wide range of habitats, including extreme high altitude environments, where reduced atmospheric oxygen (hypoxia) imposes a number of physiological challenges. This study evaluates genetic and phenotypic variation in the Colla population living in the Argentinean Andes above 3500 m and compares it to the nearby...

I N AN AGE of high altitude and high performance aircraft, it is necessary to develop a method for designing and constructing sealed cabins for flights beyond the atmosphere of the earth. This subject is of interest since it is apparent that, strictly from an engineering standpoint, it is now possible to build craft which can travel at great heights and at high velocities. The problem is now th...

In many clinical, ergonomic and sporting contexts, humans are exposed to environments that are suboptimal for physical and cognitive performance. This has prompted a substantial body research on the human response to heat, cold, hypoxia, noise, vibration, hypoand hyperbaria, as well as hyperand microgravity. However, working at environmental extremes can expose individuals to more than just a s...

This paper investigates the robustness of permanently mounted transducers used in airborne structural health monitoring systems, when exposed to the operational environment. Typical airliners operate in a range of conditions, hence, structural health monitoring (SHM) transducer robustness and integrity must be demonstrated for these environments. A set of extreme temperature, altitude and vibra...

The following account first appeared in 1999 in the autobiography of Dr Oswald Oelz. In addition to being an Editor Emeritus of Wilderness and Environmental Medicine, Dr Oelz was the Chief of the Medical Staff of Triemli Hospital in Zürich, Switzerland. He is also known for his accomplishments as an extreme climber, expedition doctor, and expert in high altitude medicine. From Mit Eispickel und...

The power of hybridization between species to generate variation and fuel adaptation is poorly understood despite long-standing interest. There is, however, increasing evidence that hybridization often generates biodiversity, including via hybrid speciation. We tested the hypothesis of hybrid speciation in butterflies occupying extreme, high-altitude habitats in four mountain ranges in western ...

High-altitude Himalayan terrain exhibits extreme geometric distortion along north-facing (dilation) and south-facing (compression) slopes as observed in satellite stereo data with high look angles. In the present study, Cartosat-1 stereo pairs have been used for generating Digital Elevation Model (DEM) using Differential Global Positioning System based Ground Control Points. DEM quality assessm...