No red blood cells? No problem. Icefish, meet the Asian noodlefish https://news.northeastern.edu/2026/01/01/asian-noodlefish-red-blood-cells/

"Antarctic Icefish are famous for living without red blood cells, but they are not alone. A species of needle-shaped, warm-water fish also lacks #hemoglobin and red blood cells. Like #icefish, its veins are filled with translucent white blood... #noodlefish adults retain juvenile features... In many other #fish, juveniles don’t need to make red blood cells because they absorb oxygen through their skin"

Question for the scientifically-minded:

As an endurance athlete and former #EMT But I have been thinking about this for maybe the past week or so.

Elite marathon runners train at high altitudes where the air is thinner and then run races at lower elevations where the air is denser. But...

What would happen if someone did brutal cardio workouts (assault bike, rowing machine, ski, etc.) in a hyperbaric chamber? How would performance, anaerobic fatigue, endurance be impacted? Nothing more than 2 ATA (66 feet-salt water) to start.

Understanding the blood and muscle tissue would be highly saturated with O2, far more than what hemoglobin would normally carry, does this mean the athlete would feel "supercharged"? On the other hand, what dangerous would arise? There are questions surrounding gas exchange. Would the body be able to clear the CO2? Initially, more oxygen = more performance but the body responds to stress and hypoxia.

It's an interesting idea. Thoughts, anyone?

#sports #training #running #cardio #medicine #health #experiment #science #hyperbaric #chamber #marathon #blood #exercise #endurance #performance #oxygen #fatigue #stress #hypoxia #toxic #hemoglobin #thought