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Climbers
hike to a science lab high in the Alps |
Mountain
climbing enthusiasts need to be prepared, and they need to
be in shape, both mentally and physically. But regardless
of preparation and training, some people can't seem to adapt
to the thin air at high altitudes. Certain climbers get so
sick they endanger their lives. Is there any way to predict
how a climber will react before they get up there?
That's
what a team of researchers at the University of Heidelberg
in Germany hope to find out. In "High Anxiety," scientist
Peter Bartsch tests
volunteers' reactions to low concentrations of oxygen in the
lab, and finds that two equally fit young men have radically
different responses. While Arndt breathes faster and more
deeply, Michael hardly compensates at all.
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X-ray reveals fluid-filled lungs- the most serious symptom
of altitude sickness |
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Then
when the volunteers climb 15,000 feet up into the Alps, they
react just as they did in the lab --Arndt enjoys his high altitude
experience, while Michael gets acute mountain sickness and must
be flown down to safety. But Udo, a third volunteer, confused
the researchers by reacting on the mountain in a way that couldn't
be predicted in the lab.
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