by Ken Springer
Science in Small Bites
“The good thing about science is that it’s true whether or not you believe in it.” Neil deGrasse Tyson
1. A small bite of science for those who enjoy skiing and mountaineering.
More than 150 hikers, skiers and mountain climbers are killed every year in avalanches. The worst avalanche in history occurred in Peru, when entire villages were buried under many meters of snow, killing an estimated 20,000 to 70,000 people.
Several decades ago, I gave a presentation on hypothermia and frostbite to a class of industrial hygienists and first responders. When I arrived at the topic of the mammalian diving reflex, a first responder from Colorado raised her hand and asked a question: “Does this reflex occur if trapped in an avalanche?”
The mammalian diving reflex is triggered when air-breathing mammals, including humans, particularly young humans, experience facial immersion in cold water. The body’s response is peripheral vasoconstriction, a constriction of the blood vessels in the limbs, which increases blood flow to the heart, brain and other vital organs.
Additionally, the epiglottis prevents water from entering the lungs, helping prevent drowning.
So, my answer to the student was, unfortunately, “no;” the mammalian diving reflex would not occur in an avalanche entrapment because, even though the snow is cold, the reflex occurs only when the victim’s face is submerged in cold water. MDR would not happen in warmer bodies of water, such as a swimming pool or a lake, in summer conditions.
The longest known survivor of prolonged immersion in cold water was an 8-year-old boy who fell through the ice on a frozen pond. His body was recovered after an amazing 147 minutes, totally submerged in 45 degrees F water. After medical rewarming, the young man fully recovered with no brain or physical injury.
A student in the class who said she had narrowly escaped being caught in an avalanche skiing off-piste in British Columbia, remarked, “Why doesn’t someone invent a device that would work like a vehicle air bag to create air space around the face before deflating?”
Well, I sincerely hope she is the one who eventually invented just such a device, because there is now quite a market for the avalanche airbag.
Death from avalanches happens when the compaction of the snow against the face obstructs breathing. The avalanche airbag (there are a number of manufacturers) is integrated into a backpack. It has a fan that automatically activates to draw air into the cavity around the face and buoys the victim up near the surface of the snow before it consolidates.
The device may not work if the victim does not deploy the airbag at the onset of the avalanche. Since it weighs only 3 to 6 pounds, it’s worth getting one if you’re in areas where avalanches may occur.
Avalanches are rare in the Eastern U.S., but occasionally they occur in New Hampshire and Vermont. Mount Washington accounts for most of these avalanches, particularly in a steep glacial cirque called Tuckerman’s Ravine.
In more than 30 years of climbing, I have had only one encounter with an avalanche. A friend and I were climbing diagonally up a steep snowfield to reach a rocky ridgeline that leads to the summit of Mount Novarupta in Alaska.
It was slow going because the snow was quite deep, and each step was an effort. We were within a few yards of a huge boulder jutting up out of the snow when we heard cracking sounds above us, followed immediately by what sounded like a freight train. We managed to get on the downhill side of the boulder just as the slab of icy snow went over us. Of course, we lived to tell the tale, but we knew that if that slab had hit us, it would likely have broken every bone in our bodies.
2. New research on cancer, exercise and diet
As new cases of cancer proliferate, particularly in younger people under age 50, medical researchers are on the cusp of new strategies to mitigate and prevent this dreaded disease.
If you are already exercising regularly, you may be well ahead of the game when it comes to cancer. Exercise burns chemical energy from carbohydrates and fat (glucose and glycogen) at a rate consistent with the nature of the exercise.
Cancer needs nutrition to survive, grow and metastasize. Sufficient exercise deprives the cancer cells of that energy.
The Canadian Cancer Trial Group recently released the results of an eight-year study involving 889 patients with colon cancer. The findings have confirmed that those who exercise are successfully fighting their cancer.
Bottom line: Keep on exercising or consider beginning an exercise program – it could save your life.
It goes without saying that diet is also a factor in preventing and mitigating cancer. An ideal diet would consist of more fruit and vegetables and fewer carbohydrates and fatty foods. Additionally, consider cutting down on alcohol (a known cause of cancer) and avoiding processed foods.
3. An update on 3I Atlas, the latest interloper in our solar system.
If you’ve been keeping up with the latest on the comet called 3I Atlas, you know that it has now passed the Earth and is on its way out of our solar system. The consensus among most astronomers is that the object is a comet, but one that has exhibited unusual behavior.
At first, 3I Atlas was believed to be an ancient comet, possibly eight billion years old. After analyzing data from telescopes trained on the comet, scientists now believe the unusual surface may be the result of interstellar radiation. This means that it is not a pristine body from some faraway star system as previously thought.
The real mystery of 3I Atlas is that, compared to other comets, it shows unusually active behavior. This comet has been getting brighter and emitting a green glow, andb3I Atlas has developed a rare anti-tail pointing towards the Sun.
The “Whew” factor of 3I Atlas is that the closest it has come to our planet is roughly 170 million miles, not exactly a near-miss. That’s quite a distance when you consider that, driving a car at 100 mph non-stop, it would take 194 years to traverse the distance to its closest approach to Earth.
A few scientists are suggesting that 3I Atlas may be a probe under intelligent control. If it is a UAP searching for intelligent life here in our solar system, they may be very disappointed.
Ken Springer
ken1949bongo@gmail.com
