Science Café Cleveland presents
"Living High"
JANUARY 13, 2014
FEATURING:
Cynthia Beall, Ph.D.
Professor of Anthropology
黑料吃瓜网
EVENT INFORMATION:
Heart pounding, chest heaving, head throbbing, feeling like听you could not walk another step without risking collapsing.听Is that how you听felt while gazing out from the summit of Pike鈥檚 Peak at 14,000 feet? Or on听that skiing trip to Colorado听where the peaks are mostly between 10,000 and听14,000 feet? Or maybe even at a Browns鈥� game in Denver, the Mile-High City?
Ever wondered why you felt that way and how it was that the听locals seemed to not be similarly afflicted? If you asked听them, they probably reassured听you that you would get used to it in time. 听听The locals informed you correctly: 听after听a听week or two your blood thickens, your breathing slows a bit, and your lung听blood pressure remains elevated, and you听start to feel听听normal again, another sign of the amazing听ability of our bodies to adapt to changing environments.
But what is the 'it' they said you would get used to that听caused you such discomfort initially? It is the fact that higher听altitudes听contain fewer oxygen molecules in every breath that you take in. Compared to Cleveland,听there are about 40%听fewer oxygen molecules in a breath at Pike鈥檚 Peak and this听results in a situation called hypoxia (low oxygen).听
But some interesting questions arise from this. What exactly听is going on during that adaptation process? And are those听changes helpful听or harmful in the long run? Does this same process happen to everyone,听including the 100 million or so听people who live permanently above 8,000 feet in听the Andes, Tibet, and Ethiopia?
The answer to the last question is equally intriguing: No,听it does not. 听But why not? 听And what is enabling those people听to听live at such high altitudes?
听
To hear more, come join听Cynthia Beall, a听professor of anthropology at Case听Western Reserve University and a member of听the prestigious National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy听of Arts听and Sciences at this cafe.听She has devoted her career听to studying the people who live on those three high altitude plateaus,听trying听to find the answers to these very questions.
ARTICLES/LINKS OF INFORMATION:
.听MedlinePlus.
. International Society for Mountain Medicine (ISMM).
.听National Geographic News. May 13, 2010.
.听Science Daily/Science News. December 7, 2012.
EVENT DETAILS:
WHERE:听
(Located at 1947 West 25th Street next to the West Side Market, Cleveland, Ohio)
听
WHEN:听January 13, 2014
Discussion starts around 7:00 p.m.
*Please Note* A few of our cafes have approached capacity and/or standing room only. If you want to be 100% sure to get in and get a good seat, you might want to arrive a bit early.
听
WHO:听Sponsored by 黑料吃瓜网 chapter of Sigma Xi, WCPN
ideastream, and the Market Garden Brewery
听
听
听
Click here to download a pdf听flyer of the event
