Humans may eventually conquer ocean world after David Blaine’s underwater stunt

US magician David Blaine is world-known not just for his shows, but also for his constant attempts to test the capacities of his own body. His latest record that entered the Guinness Book of World Records was set on April 30 of the current year when he spent 17 minutes and 4 seconds under water without an oxygen mask.

The stunt was taped and later aired at The Oprah Winfrey Show. David was breathing pure oxygen for 23 minutes to lower the concentration of carbon dioxide in blood. Ralph Potkin, a scientist, who studies the human ability to stay under water without oxygen for a long time, observed his state of health. He examined Blaine after he had set the record and found no abnormalities.

David Blaine had planed to stay under water for 23 minutes, but he felt his pulse quickening and saw the assistant signaling him that the previous record (16 minutes 32 seconds) had been beaten, so he came up.

The idea of a human being capable of living below ocean’s surface, like it happens in science fiction novels, still leaves scientists restless. But nobody has tried to implant gills to man. Scientists attempted to implant them to mice and dogs: the animals could even breathe with their new organs for some time under water. However, the animals died afterwards when their bodies rejected the gills. Researchers chose another way: they started inventing equipment for extracting oxygen from water.

In 1976 US biochemists Bonaventura (husband and wife) designed an appliance that imitated gills and worked on synthetic hematoglobulin. But they did not manage to construct it. Their drawings and the right for further development were purchased by a company specializing in making artificial blood and apparatus for its circulation. Rumours had it that in fact the Pentagon became interested in the research.

Several years ago Israeli inventor Alon Bodner invented a device that could extract not just oxygen from water, but air that was fully appropriate for breathing. The device was tested in laboratory conditions only; nothing is known about its further tests at ocean’s depths.

US doctor Ronald Hirschel does not overrule the possibility of using coercive circulation (with which he treats lung diseases) for breathing under water. The essence of the method is that they insert tubes in the patient’s trachea whereas the tubes are connected to a pump. But here there is another problem: water that goes through lungs should be disinfected, otherwise it will cause pneumonia.

However, there are people who believe that they can do with special equipment, since the ability to dive deep and stay under the water surface for a long time is a part of human nature. The reflexes are developed very poorly in humans. But if a human being learns to develop them, he or she will learn to dive like dolphins and whales.

Olga Aksenova, a biologist:

“The biggest danger during long breath-holding is the shortage of oxygen in the brain, which leads to the loss of consciousness and death. In mammal organisms that live in water (whales, dolphins, walruses and seals) there are processes that allow them to adapt to the oxygen shortage and bear great pressure under water. These processes are called diving reflexes of mammals. By the way, the same reflexes were found with pearl divers who are able to dive deep under the water surface and stay there for two-six minutes. Yogis have techniques that let them hold their breath for over half an hour without any baleful consequences. The same techniques are used by free divers.

Igor Teplov, diver:

“If a human being is well trained, if he knows certain techniques, he can learn to hold breath for a long time. The depth of diving and the time, during which divers can hold breath, increase constantly. People beat their own records. It is somehow easier for David Blaine. He dived under water in a glass reservoir and he did not move. There are special techniques of ‘half-inhale-half-exhale’ that help to stay longer under water. If Blaine had a gag in his mouth and a gripe on his nose, he wouldn’t be able to stay without oxygen for such a long time”.

Irina Deneshchuk, a physician:

“Man can stay without oxygen for five minutes at most. It concerns well-trained athletes only. Ordinary man can hold breath for half a minute or a minute, after that he has fits and dies. Breathing can be internal and external. When a person dives, he uses internal breathing. Oxygen gets into lungs, acidifies and turns into carbon dioxide. Since we cannot exhale carbon dioxide and inhale a new portion of oxygen under water, lungs start contracting and a person has fits. Oxygen acidifies at the same speed with every person. This process is inevitable, that’s why man cannot stay under water for over five minutes whatever the size of lungs might be. David Blaine’s stunt is just impossible. It most likely was a trick.”

Diving reflexes of mammals

Slowdown of heart rhythms: Slower contractions of cardiac muscles lower the transfer of oxygen to tissues and hampers metabolism, which allows to use oxygen economically. This reflex works both with an animal and with a trained human being, as soon as they dive under water.

The change of blood circulation: The pressure of water causes an outflow of blood from limbs and sends blood only to vital organs such as the heart and the brain providing them with oxygen.

Higher level of hemoglobin: The spleen contracts significantly under pressure, which results in an additional production of red corpuscles. It enhances the hemoglobin level, which lets the body accumulate additional oxygen. Scientists determined that Japanese divers could easily use this mechanism in their underwater activities.

Filling lungs: At a depth of over 50 meters alveoli get filled with plasma, which maintains the necessary size of lungs and prevents them from contractions and destruction.

Questions and tasks:

1. David’s record is only a trick, his job is to dupe people. Do you agree?

2. Do you believe people can develop their diving reflex? Why (not)?

3. If it happened, how would people’s life change?

4. The evolution would result in several categories of humans: people who are able to stay long underwater , those who hide underground and those who live on the land surface. And what do you think? How would people change in the future?

ﾵ ﾧ Japan to be the first country to meet aliens?

Nobody knows if extraterrestrials really exist. Organizations like SETI are banking on the high possibility that they do, but to date there is no concrete evidence to prove or disprove this. For the purposes of contemplation, though, let's just assume they do. If aliens decide to make contact with Earthlings, they'll probably want to contact the Japanese using prime numbers and laser pulses.

Here are five reasons why aliens might reach out to humankind via the islands of Japan first:

1. The Japanese are ready to greet them.

Part of Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba's national security strategy includes musings about how we'd respond to an alien attack under a pacifist constitution. Late last year, he told the press:

If they descended, saying 'People on Earth, let's make friends,' it would not be considered an unjust attack on our country. And there is another issue of how can we convey our intentions if we don't understand what they are saying. We should consider various possibilities.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura has also stated his firm belief that extraterrestrials do exist. The Japanese government has detailed official guidelines on what to do if we do indeed come in contact with extraterrestrials.

2. Japanese emailed them.

In 1983, Japanese astronomers sent a radio message to Altair—a solar system 16 light years away—with 13 binary-encoded images 71 by 71 pixels each showing some basic facts about us, like where our planet is located, what humans look like, the structure of DNA, and the basic chemistry of life on earth. If someone on Altair had received this message, then we can expect a reply as early as 2015.

"When constructing a message to extraterrestrials, it's important that we make it a message that represents the diversity of human cultures," says Douglas Vakoch, Director of Interstellar Message Composition at SETI. "It makes sense to start with science because ET doesn't speak English or Japanese or Swahili, but I'm going to be very disappointed if the only thing we hear from ET is that 2+2=4. I want to know what they think is important in their world."

Messages sent to aliens—including the 1983 Japanese one—are written in prime numbers because it's a concept that intelligent species universally understand. A similar message was sent in 1974 from the world's largest radio telescope in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, but this one was sent to a cluster of stars 25,000 light years away. We won't be hearing back from those aliens for a while. But the Altair-bound message holds promise to return within our lifetimes.

3. Japan has one of the only observatories that is actively seeking optical frequencies from outer space.

Most observatories search only for radio frequencies. Even after Nobel Prize-winning physicist Charles Townes suggested looking for brief laser pulses for alien detection in the sixties, people ruled it out because it was too expensive and energy-consuming. Nishiharima is the only place that's currently scanning the skies for nanosecond-level pulses in the air waves.

4. Japan will soon have AIs that match alien intelligence.

Aliens are supposedly infinitely more advanced and brainy than humans are, so the most likely scenario is that, when they get here, they'll want to talk to AIs. Since the Japanese have already figured out how to navigate virtual worlds with brain power and have robots assisting humans in everyday life, it would surprise nobody if aliens showed up there first.

5. North Korea knows things the rest of us don't.

North Korea is rumored to have recently released a statement claiming that their nuclear reactor has the dual capability of communicating wirelessly with alien species up to 1,000 light years away in real time. Of course, we can't believe everything that the North Korean government says, but seriously, I wouldn't be surprised at all if they were already communicating with other planets. If that's the case, it should be relatively easy for Japan, a neighboring country, to intercept their signals with laser pulses and let the world know definitively what Kim Jong Il has known for decades—that there is life beyond Earth.

Questions and tasks:

1. Do you believe in aliens?

2. How do you think they look like?

3. If there were other forms of life, what nation would they establish contact with?

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