Journals
Editor's picks
Josephine Adams, Editor-in-Chief of Physiological Reports
Josephine Adams shares researchers’ long-standing fascination with understanding how organisms have adapted to life in extreme environments. Read about the studies published in Physiological Reports and the latest call for papers.
Professor Josephine C. Adams
For physiologists, indeed for life scientists in general, building an understanding of how organisms have adapted to life in extreme environments represents a long-standing research fascination.
Over the years, Physiological Reports has published research embracing evolutionary adaptations of animals from the depths to the heights, such as the cardiopulmonary adaptations of diving mammals [1], or cardiac adaptations of the plateau pika, a rodent that lives at altitudes above 5000 m [2]; from life under extreme diurnal temperature variations [3], to tissue adaptations for survival on ice and in chilly seas [4].
A broad scope of publications has focused on human physiological responses to extreme environments. These range from adaptations identified in populations living permanently in extreme environments, such as at moderate or high altitudes [5], to acute adaptations of workers or professional or recreational athletes whose activities take them into extreme environments [6, 7].
Whilst we tend to think of extreme physiology in terms of the extremes of environments on Earth – the natural extremes of temperature, pressure, oxygen availability, salinity of water, etc – humans have so significantly impacted conditions on Earth that the physiological effects of anthropogenic extreme conditions have now become urgent and important areas of research.
In 2024, Physiological Reports ran a Call for Papers on ‘Physiological Effects of Atmospheric Pollution’, an issue recognised by the WHO to be the largest human health risk of the 21st century. The resulting publications can be viewed in a Virtual Collection [8]. Another rapidly growing risk, due to climate change, is exposure to heat stress, which can exacerbate chronic conditions or be lethal in the elderly. More research is needed into sex differences in thermoregulatory responses [9], also the mechanisms and monitoring of exertional heat stress [10].
A further dimension of extreme physiology is embraced in Physiological Reports’ latest Call for Papers ‘Ageing, Health Span and Lifespan: Physiological Aspects’ [11]. This topic was selected to align with the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing (2021–2030). A major aspect of this Call clearly relates to the physiology of ageing; however, the editors also wish to consider manuscripts related to molecular, cellular, organ, or whole-body physiological aspects of longevity.
We are interested to consider manuscripts related to extremely long-lived humans (centenarians and beyond), or animal species that typically have unusual features of longevity (eg, the naked mole rat, a species that lives far longer than other rodents), or are known for achieving lifespans of several hundred years (as in the giant tortoise, Greenland shark and whale species, amongst others). Such study of extreme lifespans can provide new insights into mechanisms of resistance to cancer and other chronic, age-related diseases in addition to mechanisms of physiological resilience more generally.
References
1.Cardiopulmonary adaptations of a diving marine mammal, the bottlenose dolphin: Physiology during anesthesia. Carolina R. Le-Bert, Gordon S. Mitchell, Leah R. Reznikov. First published: 08 September 2024 https://doi.org/10.14814/phy2.16183
2.Cardiac adaptation to high altitude in the plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae). Aurélien Pichon, Bai Zhenzhong, Dominique Marchant, Guoen Jin, Nicolas Voituron, Yun Haixia, Fabrice Favret, Jean-Paul Richalet, Ri-Li Ge. First published: 18 July 2013 https://doi.org/10.1002/phy2.32
3.Daily regulation of body temperature rhythm in the camel (Camelus dromedarius) exposed to experimental desert conditions. Hanan Bouâouda, Mohamed R. Achâaban, Mohammed Ouassat, Mohammed Oukassou, Mohamed Piro, Etienne Challet, Khalid El Allali, Paul Pévet. First published: 28 September 2014 https://doi.org/10.14814/phy2.12151
4.Partial pressure of oxygen in adipose tissue and its relationship with fatness in a natural animal model of extreme fat deposition, the grey seal. Laura Oller, Kimberley A. Bennett, J. Chris McKnight, Simon E.W. Moss, Ryan Milne, Ailsa J. Hall, Joel Rocha. First published: 19 August 2021 https://doi.org/10.14814/phy2.14972
5.Genetic and phenotypic differentiation of an Andean intermediate altitude population. Christina A. Eichstaedt, Tiago Antão, Alexia Cardona, Luca Pagani, Toomas Kivisild, Maru Mormina. First published: 06 May 2015 https://doi.org/10.14814/phy2.12376
6.Methodological and aerobic capacity adaptations of high-intensity interval training at different altitudes in distance runners: A comprehensive meta-analysis. Sisay Fentaw, Tefera Tadesse, Zerihun Birhanu. First published: 01 May 2025 https://doi.org/10.14814/phy2.70349
7.Lactate increases oxygen unloading of preconditioned blood from male elite breath-hold divers. Thomas Kjeld, Egon Godthaab Hansen, Henrik Christian Arendrup, Jens Højberg, Anders Nedergaard, Thomas Krag, John Vissing. First published: 07 January 2026 https://doi.org/10.14814/phy2.70698
8.Physiological Effects of Atmospheric Pollution. Virtual Collection https://physoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/toc/10.1002/(ISSN)2051-817X.physiological-effects-pollution
9. Sex difference in initial thermoregulatory response to dehydrated exercise in the heat. Gabrielle E. W. Giersch, Margaret C. Morrissey, Cody R. Butler, Abigail T. Colburn, Zachariah S. Demarais, Stavros A. Kavouras, Ollie Jay, Nisha Charkoudian, Douglas J. Casa. First published: 20 July 2021 https://doi.org/10.14814/phy2.14947
10. Heat tolerance classification criteria require population-specific thresholds for accurate assessment of acclimation state in adults. Jacob S. Bowie, Michael R. Szymanski, Jeb F. Struder, Erica M. Filep, Margaret C. Morrissey-Basler, Gabrielle J. Brewer, Staci N. Thornton, Kyle J. Mahoney, Yasuki Sekiguchi et al. First published: 15 February 2026 https://doi.org/10.14814/phy2.70745
11.Call for Papers: Ageing, Health Span and Lifespan: Physiological Aspect. https://physoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/hub/journal/2051817x/call-for-papers/si-2025-001693
