Xref: utzoo sci.med:14111 sci.bio:2599 Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!uunet!ncrlnk!ncrwat!53iss6!howard From: howard@53iss6.Waterloo.NCR.COM (Howard Steel) Newsgroups: sci.med,sci.bio Subject: Re: Breathing liquid? Message-ID: <178@53iss6.Waterloo.NCR.COM> Date: 20 Dec 89 21:44:15 GMT References: Reply-To: howard@53iss6.Waterloo.NCR.COM (Howard Steel) Organization: NCR Canada Ltd, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. Lines: 31 Keywords: In article Thomas Gramstad writes: >Sometimes in science fiction etc. one encounters the idea of >deep divers breathing liquid instead of gas (the last example >is in the movie The Abyss). What is the rationale for this >idea, if any? The rationale is that a large body of liquid would have a good supply of oxygen disolved in it and thus the need to carry an air supply with us would be removed. >Is it at all possible for a human being to breathe and obtain oxygen from a liquid? Well, rats have been fitted with a water tight membrane across their mouths that allowed for transfer of gas but not liquid; the rodent subjects were able to quite easily breathe under-water for over an hour (they were removed because it was felt at the time that longer periods would serve little purpose in the initial studies...besides its tough to cut the little devils up under water and get decent observations). These tests were conducted in fish tanks, so obviously the question arises about the effect pressure would have, and how does a larger organism (ie man) with its increased requirements for oxygen make out. Don't know. An old argument states that if there was enough air to support the energy demands of a highly developed brain, then we would have a lot smarter fish. -- / / / / / / / / / / :-(I Think, Therefore I Am, I Think :-) / / / / / / / / / / / Howard.Steel@Waterloo.NCR.COM NCR CANADA LTD. - 580 Weber St. N / / (519)884-1710 Ext 570 Waterloo, Ont., N2J 4G5 / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /