What, exactly, happens to the body of the climbers in “The Death Zone” (i.e. on Mount Everest) that causes their death?
In: Biology
The air is thinner the higher you go. Above a certain altitude, the air is so thin that each breath of air provides less oxygen than the body needs to survive. Most hikers up Everest bring oxygen tanks to breathe from for that portion of the mountain, but if they don’t, their body will gradually use up the oxygen in their blood. Eventually, the cells of the body will die after being deprived of oxygen for too long, and while the body will attempt to prioritize oxygen to the brain, eventually the brain or some other vital organ will have too little oxygen for too long and begin to die off, leading to the person dying.
Latest Answers