What Is The HIGHEST Altitude YOU Can SURVIVE? | DEBUNKED

What's The HIGHEST ALTITUDE Humans Can SURVIVE? Take away oxygen masks and pressurized suits and what is the highest limit of human survival? Signup for your FREE trial to The Great Courses Plus here: ow.ly/8pMq30pZpC8
#debunked #mythsdebunked #funscience #thoughtexperiment
CREDITS
Stu K - Researcher | Writer | Producer | Animator | Illustrator | Editor | Presenter
Adam R - Illustrator
Robin B - Script Editor | Guest VO
Julia K - Script Editor
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SOURCES
pubmed.ncbi.nl...
www.nhs.uk/con...
www.engineerin...
theconversatio...
vis.sciencemag...
Oxygen Transfer from Atmosphere to Tissues (Edited by Noberto C. Gonzalez, M. Roger Fedde)
www.nationalge...
www.independen...
time.com/56047...
Aerospace, Pressure Effects Hypobaric William J. Tarver 1 , Jackie Anderson, Jeffrey S. Cooper
pubmed.ncbi.nl...
www.healthline...
www.stuff.co.n...
The Biology of Human Survival: Life and Death in Extreme Environments By Claude A. Piantadosi
derangedphysio...
www.britannica...
Spaceports Around the World, A Global Growth Industry. By Erik Seedhouse
www.health.har...
www.ncbi.nlm.n...
www.newyorker....
pubmed.ncbi.nl...
www.stuff.co.n...
www.princeton.e...

[@DebunkedOfficial]

Thanks for watching everyone! We hope you learnt something new? This is part of Human Survival series, with another video out next week!! If you are interested we have a Patreon page www.patreon.com/debunked where you can support us from as little as $1 per month. We are currently revising our rewards for our higher tiers that will cover things like limited edition t-shirts and more ways that our viewers can get directly involved with our videos.

[@thunderwolf5532]

Hi

[@Mister_NO.]

Just hang in there, you make amazing content and high quality channels like yours regularly receive at least a few million subs. YT algorithm can't hold you back forever, you are one good promotion away from million subs - Hang in there! 👊

[@TheRealGuywithoutaMustache]

This channel is truly underrated, they deserve millions at least, their content is always fascinating and informational

[@DebunkedOfficial]

Thanks! That's a really kind comment 😊

[@Deity.I]

Bruh

[@lol-mm3pg]

True

[@Neil-teamBrigade]

+1

[@bastianmarcelosantander3882]

Only give them time

[@genaddi1234]

living at 8400 ft for 7 years, now i understand why i have trouble sleeping, not related to my procrastinating habits at all, just altitude sickness

[@thestrays815]

Where do you live?

[@Lyle-xc9pg]

At that altitude you get accustomed in a few days to a couple weeks

[@volka2199]

@@Lyle-xc9pg Exactly I went to visit family in Colorado for a few weeks the town was around 6k feet and I traveled constantly to areas above 7k feet, even visited some mountains at up to 14k feet. It didn't take me very long to adjust and I live at almost sea level on the east coast. My father had a worse time and he definitely got altitude sickness but I drank a lot of water and took it slow and I was fine especially after around a week. If you live for extended periods at such altitudes you are already adjusted to them and should not be experiencing altitude sickness. The body adapts to the lower oxygen by producing more red blood cells which carry more oxygen to tissue. It could be due to Chronic Mountain Sickness which affects some people living at such altitudes for long periods, not everyone experiences this though and it is most common above 9,000ft but can occur above 8,000ft.

[@volka2199]

There are treatments for CMS if that is what's causing your symptoms.

[@fume3107]

Always thought about this. Now finally... FINALLYYYYY!!!!

[@hollowcrown2395]

Yeah dude

[@DebunkedOfficial]

Any other questions keeping you awake at night? Maybe we could make videos about them and put your mind at rest ;-)

[@fume3107]

@@DebunkedOfficial Mm... I have one but, this might be silly... What happens to the gravitational pull as we go higher and higher inside Earth's atmosphere? If something happens to the gravity, why?

[@ken_tafari]

The channel is really underrated! Good job guys!

[@layagmarino8833]

I just discovered Debunked and it is uniquely different from other channels. Man I love your videos. Done Subscribing!

[@eli.daniel]

When I was in middle school (I’m in college now), I read the book Peak by Roland Smith. I learned a lot about acclimation and whatnot. It’s about a 14-year-old boy (Peak) and a boy from Nepal (Sun-jo), the same age, climbing Mt. Everest. It was pretty good for a young adult novel.

[@ramirosandoval41]

Was it non fiction?

[@Ironz._.]

@@ramirosandoval41 of cause not it would fiction. I might be wrong but I think all novels are fiction

[@DoglinsShadow]

Extremely underrated channel. Incredible. Amazing!

[@DebunkedOfficial]

Thanks for the awesome comments!

[@bokkejal]

What a incredible video! Please keep them coming. Wish you and your team nothing but the best!

[@DebunkedOfficial]

Thanks for the kind comment! Checkout our other videos and watch out for more soon.

[@goodmankyle25]

I live in a town at 6400 feet, it's super dry and from the lack of thick air and huminaty, I costantly get bloody noses, and i've lived here my whole life.

[@jarolista3535]

Actually really appreciate these videos. Really interesting!

[@DebunkedOfficial]

We're glad you enjoy them! Any new subject you'd like to see?

[@jarolista3535]

@@DebunkedOfficial How close could a moon orbit a planet, or two planets each other? How would it look like and what would the effects of it on humans if we lived there? 😂 This always fascinates me as we can see huge beautiful moons that seem so close in science fictions movies like avatar.

[@abidemiakinola2330]

Thanks, I really enjoyed this. Keep on going!!!😁😁😁

[@DebunkedOfficial]

Thanks, glad you liked it! We're working hard to try and get another video out next week!

[@millenial8212]

This channel deserves more subs!

[@redpower6956]

As usual very informative video! Your videos are amazing and incredible. You deserve millions subscribers!

[@DebunkedOfficial]

Thanks 😊 Glad you learnt something new 👍

[@spacepiratejacen2258]

Very nicely done!

[@mikeneville9149]

Came across this and had to wztch, truely an awsome channel, nice work,

[@DebunkedOfficial]

Thanks so much! Hope you like the rest of our videos! 👍

[@willyd-adv]

Rode my motorcycle to 5880m in the Himalayas and loved it but I'm very lucky as I don't suffer from altitude sickness at all. My two riding buddies on the other hand struggled and we had to rush back down

[@JDLong-vt9ib]

Let's get these guys to 1M subs, they really deserve it.

[@Yahya-ss6wx]

Dude, same thoughts

[@DebunkedOfficial]

Thanks for your support!

[@Deity.I]

This is actually very entertaining :)

[@fredsmith9714]

Now, how deep can humans survive. If we emptied the ocean, there would be an extra 30,000 feet of atmosphere in the challenger deep. I'm guessing we can still breathe at 2 to 3 atm pressure. Free divers have gone down 800 feet without being crushed

[@generalgrievous2202]

Air gains pressure much less than water, so you would likely only get to 2 - 3 atmospheres in the ocean, which is about breathable

[@MrMR-sk8jm]

The "-1 C" at 8,000 feet is based off of standard temperature. It says that standard temp is 15 C (at sea level) and for every thousand foot elevation gain, you loose 2 C in temperature. That works out to 8,000 feet having a standard temperature of -1 C. That being said, just because it's standard doesn't mean that's what it's going to be. There's a town at 9,200 feet and the temperature for today is 81 F or 27.2 C. That's above standard (at sea level) and way above -3 C (the standard at 9,000 ft).

[@traviskoontz4796]

Very informative 👍

[@Perez5.3]

In Colorado we climb 14k tall mountains for fun 😌

[@tedwalford7615]

Yep. You get used to it. But it helps that we don't normally live at sea level.

[@raptors8620]

In Nepal we climb Everest for fun 😌

[@deluxous]

Ask Travis Scott He’s the highest in the room

[@s.d4252]

LOL 🤣

[@tedwalford7615]

Living always above 6,000 feet, sea-level air seems to me so unpleasantly dense, it's almost claustrophobic, and I want to push it away from my face.

[@kurd9112]

ikr i live in shanghai weather and the air density is nothing like CO

[@kduck789]

What an underrated channel.

[@RobertR3750]

I grew up in Denver (a mile above sea level), and never noticed any difficulty walking, sleeping, or breathing.

[@high_on_rum]

When I saw how high can a human get, I was like "probably 10000 miligrams"

[@boum62]

I love this channel. Up there with veritassium and minute physics.

[@Gamepro2112]

I went from 700 feet to 10,800 feet in less than 24 hours. I slept at 10,800 but the max I was that day was about 13k. Breathing was so hard, when I put up my tent and had to rest every few seconds. But woke up the next morning just fine and hiked 7 miles.

[@Kolonird]

This channel doesn't get enough views

[@DebunkedOfficial]

Hopefully we will one day 👍 Thanks for your support!

[@mike33kampantais70]

I mean... if you stay really high and you die in 1 day u technicaly survived your lifetime up there.

[@Lyle-xc9pg]

I mean "I mean"?

[@RemedieX]

I love this channel so much

[@jabeezley]

Liked subbed and turned on notifications also I love this channel (sorry for my bad English)

[@DebunkedOfficial]

Your English is good 👍

[@Yahya-ss6wx]

Let's get Debunked to 1mio Subs

[@DebunkedOfficial]

Thanks for your support!

[@idkwhatthisisforplzhelp3678]

The natives of high altitude usually have smaller red blood cells, but they have much more of them than we (everyone else) do

[@tommylakasi3022]

Wait so there are people living at altitudes that if normal people went there then they would die?

[@WickedPhase]

Tommy Lakasi Well, i dont think they will die, they will probably just experience more severe altitude sickness

[@siyacer]

And larger spleens and lungs

[@RemedieX]

So how well would they acclimate to our normal everyday altitudes? Would such adaptions actually weigh them down or would they be able to breathe air much more easily, plus hold their breath for much longer than the average person? Since the other comment says they have bigger lungs.

[@raptors8620]

@@RemedieX I’m Tibetan/Nepali and it’s normal for me when I go to sea level and when I go to solukumbu it’s normal Everest base camp

[@bluepenguin2993]

How high can we survive?? Noah: Yeah

[@Ubersnuber]

I've gotten plenty high in my time. I'd say the highest was when I melted 5g of hash into butter and put it on a pizza, at my friend's place. Could barely, after several failed attempts, find my way home.

[@jamesroyle9062]

LMAO

[@tabiro78]

In Mexico City the altitude is from 2400 to 3000 meters. Are you saying that the 21 million people living there are likely to have altitude sickness symptoms?

[@DebunkedOfficial]

Here's an extract from one of our sources: "CMS is a pressing health threat for the roughly 140 million people worldwide who live above 2500 meters. In Bolivia's capital of La Paz, which sits at 3600 meters, an estimated 6% to 8% of residents-up to 63,000 people-have CMS. In some cities in Peru, the rate is as high as 20%. La Rinconada is the global capital of CMS; researchers estimate that at least one in four residents suffers from the disease. Like many chronic diseases, CMS gets short shrift from public health officials, says Francisco Villafuerte of Cayetano Heredia University in Lima. "In Peru, it's a neglected disease, despite the fact that one-third of the population lives above 2500 meters," Feel free to read up further about it here vis.sciencemag.org/hypoxia-city/

[@ArjayMartin]

can the high altitude people hold their breath a long time? good at free diving?

[@betaraytasty5109]

I was so high, I handed my friend a tire guage thinking it was a pen. I survived.

[@harczymarczy]

Ewa Wiśnierska survived a paragliding accident at the altitude of 9946 meters above sea level. She was incredibly lucky but still fell unconscious above ~7000 meters.

[@DebunkedOfficial]

Thanks for the extra info 👍

[@nickeggleston1333]

I once saw my cousin take 3 strips of acid at once and he became my grandfather so i think thats the limit

[@JadF1729]

Underrated chaneel more subs and views to Debuked!!!!!!

[@bluntp.n.i.c7701]

That was messed up funny how you dropped that guy on Mount Everest I can't stop laughing I had to keep rewinding it

[@axea4554]

I don't know this channel at all, I found this video in recommendations, and it's 6 hours old, WUT? This is happened to me for the first time

[@DebunkedOfficial]

Welcome! We hope you like the rest of our channel 😁

[@jeronimoepic2946]

It is very dangerous at 4000 M Me: laughs in bolivian If u dont know the capital La Paz is at 4000 m above sea level

[@enigma3419]

Obi-wan, Laughs in High Ground.

[@jeronimoepic2946]

I star wars fan, “a suprise to be sure, but a welcome one”

[@Matvey.]

I was hiking in mountains near my city about 2 months ago, and that day I reached 3260m (10700ft) of altitude. I felt quite good, I hadn't headache or stomachache or anything else. I stayed at that height for about 1.5 hours and then went back to 900m where I live. Also, I can easily reach 1500m while riding my bike. Maybe I have some extra endurance that most of people haven't 🤔

[@aluckynoob9077]

Where do you live?

[@Matvey.]

@@aluckynoob9077 Almaty, Kazakhstan

[@SCRT-jk8me]

Very interesting you said hypoxia can start taking affect at 5000ft but I live in Colorado Springs which has an altitude of about 6000ft also Pikes Peak is at about 14000ft and some people live pretty close to the top.

[@cicada3312]

all that is your body trying to keep you alive! AMAZING

[@DebunkedOfficial]

Pretty incredible 👍

[@carlosbeate-cv1sr]

This is not accurate. I live at 3.000 m.a.s.l (in a city of 3 Million People - Quito, Ecuador) and everyone is fine. Problems start at 4000 m.a.s.l

[@Potato-ko3oc]

Can you make a vid about string theory, i still dont understand it fully.

[@DebunkedOfficial]

Good suggestion 👍

[@AnotherPointOfView944]

A few years ago my Chinese wife and I visited "Snow Mountain" near Lijiang, in Yunnan province in China. It is about 10,000ft high, and my wife's niece made sure we took oxygen bottles for the ascent by cable car. Sure enough when we arrived at the summit, we both felt the effects of hypoxia, so duly took the oxygen and all was OK. On our way out to the cable car (to descend) we saw many Chinese families vomiting on the floor. I offered my remaining oxygen tank to one couple, but they refused. Saying they didnt need it. I knew they were having hypoxia, but were too far gone to realize it. I dont know what happened to those people. There were no emergency health facilities at the summit. The Chinese authorities should have put rules in place to ensure that everyone MUST have oxygen before ascending. Typical Chinese safety mentality.

[@drme.o.5604]

How did you streamlive an already recorded video? Hope I'm not bothering you with too many questions.

[@paararockz5185]

😱 How did the players ball at the La Paz stadium 3637m above sea level 😮 i remember Messi and Neymar playing there once suffering breathing problems

[@Thenotfunnyperson]

Common misconception at high altitudes it is the lack of atmospheric pressure. You can be inhaling supplemental oxygen and not sustain life. This is why airplanes have to be pressurized. Witherspoon the lack of atmospheric pressure only 40% of the hemoglobin can be bound on Mt Everest.

[@chrisricciardi3184]

WOW you texted booked that one. I live at 7522 ft in elevation and I'm the low one in the area. I know people (who live 10 minutes away) at over 8500 ft in elevation. You left out the all important part that people can adjust.

[@christosvoskresye]

I think I'll sleep on the bottom bunk just to be safe.

[@DebunkedOfficial]

Never can be too careful 😉

[@emillycherryberry2180]

Watching this from Colorado! Now I can use this video as an excuse for my poor hiking skills above 6,000ft 😂

[@thegamingpro1985]

emilly cherryberry lol 😂

[@raptors8620]

Colorado isn’t that high tbh

[@karlbergen6826]

I was born at an altitude of about 4300 feet. and lived there for my first five years. Then I lived at about 300 feet until I was 21. I then returned to the 4300 ft. level. I do not feel altitude until about 9000 feet.

[@SF-fb6lv]

You can get acclimated. The first big mountain I climbed, I was feeling it at 12 or 13,000 feet, and got a little sick at 15,000. Later, in the Andes, the hotel was at 9,000 and we went on higher and higher climbs. On the last one (Chimborazo), we slept at over 17,000 and climbed to over 20,000. I didn't really start to feel it until 18,500 or so. The body gets used to it.

[@GoRideLP]

title: how high can a human survive? me, an intellectual: 3 joints, take it or leave it

[@bigfatbruce]

This is ridiculous. I have trouble breathing after I walk up a flight of stairs and that's like maybe 9 feet. 😩

[@ryandowns8055]

What about Mounteverest

[@maxhill9254]

thx

[@drme.o.5604]

What do you use to make these animations?

[@DebunkedOfficial]

We draw and design the illustrations in Adobe Illustrator, animate them in Adobe After Effects and edit it all together in Adobe Premiere. Thanks for your question 😊

[@drme.o.5604]

@@DebunkedOfficial Thanks a lot

[@bejdjwkmslxm3896]

To getting high, you doesnt need to hike, just go to pub, an you will know your higest limit

[@blazingaqua9127]

4:54 Ayy damn, that actually is my home city😂

[@DebunkedOfficial]

Where's your home city?

[@blazingaqua9127]

@@DebunkedOfficial Bristol in England

[@elioutdoors8119]

I have driven through the Beartooth Pass with no coat and it’s over 10,000 feet tall

[@elioutdoors8119]

We got out and walked around for a while at the summit I felt no altitude sickness and where I live is only 800 feet above sea level

[@EdwinCristobal]

I predict that a lot of people will be watching this video in the future, and this won't be the kind of video they were looking for.. if you know what I mean

[@gonzafreytes9006]

Incoming unfunny stoner jokes.

[@WickedPhase]

Yup, they are everywhere

[@anitrezhnjeva4806]

Title:How high can a human survive Snoop Dogg:Observe

[@ND-yi6wp]

Out of personal experience I can't feel my limbs after 10 grams

[@rottis5042]

at higher altitudes, your brain doesn't get enough o2 to function and you'll pass out. this is why airplane depressurization is so dangerous

[@hameedudin2027]

People who have flyer on a sr71 on 70k_80k feet:you sure bout that?

[@Oveja96]

Mmmm. Are there symptomps of people living in see level ? Bc i live at 2600 m and for sure I dont feel nausea when walking...

[@wyqtor]

As someone living close to sea level, I can tell you that I only feel off above 3000 m. The only time I felt really sick from altitude sickness was when I stayed for 3 days at 3650 m. It didn't help that I flew in straight from close sea level, without any acclimatization. It was a terrible experience for me, I could still walk around but I was gasping for air all the time, at the time I thought I might even die.

[@Photographerindian]

Sherp community in Nepal can climb mt Everest without Oxygen Tanks

[@khazrajmajed2288]

So out of this vast universe, the only place that is suitable for humans to live normally is the 5 km that’s above our heads ,, that’s some coincidence !!! So did humans evolve to suite the atmosphere or did the atmosphere evolve to suite human life ?

[@RemedieX]

It's insanely impressive how humans can push beyond the conditions/limits nature and evolution had intended for us to reside in. Humans too op, please nerf.

[@nokhchi1079]

*Creation

[@295Phoenix]

​@@nokhchi1079Creation is bullshit. Grow up, child.

[@JDLong-vt9ib]

EVERYONE we all need to start a "SUBSCRIBE TO DEBUNKED" and see how far we get.

[@markvlogs1758]

people on everest for 2 months teleport all the way to sea level will get a heatstroke. jk

[@AkhonaNgquba]

I live in JHB which is 1,700m above the sea level, I am breathing just fine. Yes, when I go to lower altitudes I feel the air is "better quality" and my car feels faster but I think having spent years here my body is used to the thinner air. Great video. I like your videos. I cannot believe that removing CO² from the blood can kill you. This is funny. I thought the guys was going to say, "at this altitude, the CO² is removed from the blood faster than it is produced so you become super human!". Nope, you just die. Too much oxygen, you die, too little, you die. Too much CO² you die. Too little, death and we want to go to Mars with just fragile bodies.

[@jimsagubigula7337]

We'll have spacesuits to go to Mars.

[@AkhonaNgquba]

Yes but I was trying to say that the we are very fragile and die easily. Thos world has the perfect balance of what we need and yet the balance is not everywhere. Someone here (in South Africa) died while taking a shower because they had installed an outdoor gas water geyser indoors. Small mistake, dead person (and there are many cases like this around the world). We are really fragile.

[@Isochest]

I visited Johannesburg way back in 1994 coming from Durban by bus. I don't think we went high enough to notice the thinner air. We had lovely views of the Drakensberg Mountains on the way there

[@drewjuliano8664]

Yeah, I'm assuming a spacesuit is definitely cheating this time...

[@Theeiseternal]

But how "high" can we survive? I will volentire to find the answer

[@RudolfK9]

Laughs in Wim Hof method

[@inactiveguy03]

I live at 5600ft and feel fine

[@theZombieAdrift]

Smoke me up and we'll see how high we can survive first hand

[@DebunkedOfficial]

🤣

[@uncleian0549]

I’ve been past 14,000 feet before.

[@tedwalford7615]

Practically in my back yard in Colorado is Pikes Peak, with a summit of 14,115 feet (about 8,000 feet above where I live). On top is a Summit House, with gift shop and snack bar, in which the staff works all day. But they're used to it. I've been up the mountain many times (walking, driving, and by train). But usually if I bring visitors (from the flatland) up there, they can only stay about ten minutes before they start freaking out, getting sick, or wandering off in a daze.

[@ArjayMartin]

Felix Baumgartner 38km?

[@troublemaker731]

I can survive sum kush, shrooms, and acid at the same time

[@tonybordonaro9066]

I think your altitudes may be a little low. As a former pilot of unpressurized aircraft I regularly flew at 14000' with no issues.

[@Stellarainn]

I wonder if these limits were only mathematically proven or some unfortunate ppl found out the hard way

[@lemonsqueeza8248]

I’m high as balls rn so I may have not got long left

[@DebunkedOfficial]

🤣

[@atheistontheroad4545]

This is a bunch of BS. Hypoxia and trouble sleeping at 5,000 feet? Denver proves this wrong. Headaches, nausea and vomiting at 8,200 feet? Telluride Colorado is a very popular vacation destination, and its base elevation is 8,700 feet. It's not plagued with headaches nausea and vomiting. Below freezing above 10,000 feet? Is that why Colorado's ski resorts shut down in the summer? Too hard to keep snow on the mountains below freezing? Come on, this is just a list of worst possible cases.

[@vdfritzz]

please use meters as the main measurement and then convert to ft, makes more sense for science videos

[@tristen9903]

Hi

[@prayash4506]

who r u from nepal?

[@lamk9729]

3

[@Cyrus-ro8kg]

I can survive potfull of highness 😌

[@carsonparker811]

🗻----> SCP-096

[@antipoti]

This is stupid though, at 1500-2500m you can't feel shit. The "syptoms" are way over dramatized.