Biohacker’s Podcast Teemu Arina interviews Research MD Beth Healey who spent an extended period of time at Concordia station in Antarctica researching extreme conditions (e.g. temperatures as low as -100 celsius) where humans are put to test during difficult missions such as one we may take to planet Mars.
Beth Healey’s most recent role was with the European Space Agency (ESA) as a Research MD, Concordia Station, Antartica. During her year long mission at Spaceflight Analogue Concordia ‘White Mars’, she was responsible for co-ordinating and implementing seven research protocols, selected by the ESA, to investigate the effects of this extreme environment on the physiology and psychology of the crew. Beth led the medical rescue team and worked alongside the base doctor in case of emergency. Beth is a UK trained doctor. A fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, with an interest in polar environments she has worked as part of logistical and medical support teams for expeditions and endurance races in Svalbard, Greenland, Siberia and at the North Pole.
As part of her medical elective she worked in a remote Inuit Hospital in NE Greenland. Beth Healey is also a patron of Extreme Medicine.
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Time-stamped Show Notes
- 0:35 – Biohacker Summit
- 1:43 – Teemu introduces Dr. Beth Healey
- 2:20 – What got Dr. Beth Healey interested in cold environments
- 4:25 – Being isolated in Concordia
- 5:07 – Experiments
- 8:17 – 105 days without sunlight
- 12:30 – Very confined to the base
- 12:59 – Limited communication at Concordia
- 13:18 – Temperatures at Concordia
- 13:33 – Gear used
- 16:21 – Physical and psychological challenges
- 17:43 – Not able to grow anything in Concordia
- 18:07 – Food
- 20:44 – Exercise
- 22:55 – Interventions to adapt better
- 24:13 – Cognitive testing
- 27:30 – Discussion of research
- 28:11 – Main reason of research
- 29:09 – Discussion of experiments
- 30:28 – Bacteria samples
- 31:54 – Patron of extreme medicine
- 33:47 – Human Behavior Performance training
- 34:53 – Leadership and communication
- 36:51 – Main problems they face
- 37:32 – Leadership within a mission
- 40:38 – Human Behavior Performance training
- 41:43 – Testing
- 45:49 – More information about what she did in Concordia
- 49:01 – Concordia
- 49:30 – Life at the Extremes
If you want to learn more, Dr. Rhonda Patrick will be at the Biohacker Summit on 18 November in Helsinki, Finland talking about the health benefits of heat alteration. On top of that, you will be able to try both cold thermogenesis and sauna for yourself.