This Podcast Will Kill You Ep 186 Hypothermia Part 1: How it hurts
Sep 2, 2025
Explore the chilling realities of hypothermia and why humans struggle against the cold compared to other species. Discover the harrowing tale of Napoleon's retreat from Moscow and its grim consequences. Learn about animal adaptations, like wood frogs surviving extreme freezes, and discover our own vulnerabilities, including how hypothermia can strike in unexpected places. Plus, unravel the medical intricacies of how the body reacts to cold and the emerging recognition of hypothermia's treatment and potential therapeutic uses.
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Napoleon's Deadly Retreat
- Armand de Caulencourt described Napoleon's retreat from Moscow where soldiers begged to be left to sleep and die in the cold.
- Erin Allmann-Updyke used this to illustrate how quickly hypothermia killed many during that retreat.
Animals' Diverse Cold Strategies
- Animals use migration, torpor, and physiological adaptations to survive polar cold.
- Humans rely more on cultural inventions, leaving us less intrinsically adapted to extreme cold.
Polar Animal Adaptations
- Erin Allmann-Updyke shared multiple animal adaptations: reindeer nasal valves, fatty milk, and insulating fur in babies.
- She used these examples to contrast human reliance on technology over physiology.
