A V Hill Lecture Kings and Queens of the Mountain: Studies of Extreme Physiology in Himalayan Sherpas

Mon 23 November 2020

Online

The A V Hill Lecture by Dr Andrew Murray, Metabolic Physiology Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge

Please note this is a video talk in a series of lectures to be hosted online. Organised by the Cambridge Philosophical Society in the Michaelmas Term 2020.

All video lectures are free to download and open to all who are interested, no booking required. For further information on when the lecture will be available online and how to download our lectures please visit the Society's website. http://www.cambridgephilosophicalsociety.org

Abstract: As we ascend to high altitude, our bodies experience low oxygen availability – a condition known as hypoxia. In response, our heart rate and breathing rate are adjusted in an attempt to maintain oxygen supply to our vital organs, whilst levels of oxygen-carrying red cells increase in our blood. Despite this, we are limited by the low oxygen available to us, and this impacts on our ability to think and exercise. In human populations that have spent thousands of years residing at altitude, such as the Himalayan Sherpas, there has been a selection of genetic variations which enable them to live, work and reproduce in this environment. In this talk, Andrew Murray will discuss work that he has carried out for more than 15 years and across two major research expeditions in collaboration with the Xtreme Everest Research Group. Andrew will look at some of the paradoxes of our own bodies’ responses to altitude, and consider the different evolutionary strategies adopted by Sherpas and other high-altitude dwelling people. Finally, Andrew will describe how this research is beginning to help in the treatment of patients who are experiencing hypoxia in other life-threatening contexts, such as the intensive care unit.

Cost: free