how people in extremely cold places can survive? For example, Oymyakon in Siberia regularly gets below – 55°c / – 67°f, and I’m sure we’ve all seen those videos of people throwing boiling water into the air where it freezes instantly. How does blood not freeze? How are mucous membranes and eyeballs not frozen within seconds? How does anybody pee without it instantly freezing?
Obviously people live in heated housing, but how can people go outside/ pee outside without injury? I’ve wondered about this for years, and even more so when I see pictures of animals seemingly frozen in place mid-movement.
Thank you
In: 5357
I used to live in Astana (now Nur-Sultan), Kazakhstan. It’s the 2nd coldest capital in the world… can sometimes get to -50.
You just don’t go outside when you can help it. You also wear fur, wool, and down. You know the typical “Russian” hat? The ushanka? Those are super-practical for the environment, particularly if they are black. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ushanka
The flaps can be pulled down and tied under your chin (mine is mink) and this wraps large flaps of soft fur across your cheeks and under your chin. The line of fur at the top acts like sunglasses… or like the inverse of when athletes draw black lines under their eyes. It protects from sun glare. It will also provide some protection for the eyes.
If you combine an ushanka with a wool scarf wrapped around the lower face (covering the nose), your skin will be protected.
In terms of using the toilet… frankly, in areas that don’t have indoor plumbing, it’s not unusual for people to set up a bucket in the back room of the house (often a mudroom type area) and use that. It’s not going to stink up the house. You just go to the outhouse and empty it every so often. People have used chamberpots for centuries.
Latest Answers