About this Research Topic
Extreme environments in locales around the world (and beyond) pose severe threats to human operations and health. These environments include—but are not limited to—extreme heat, extreme cold, high altitude, aviation, maritime, deep diving conditions, polar regions, and outer space. Extreme environments have a significant impact on humans at multiple scales including epigenetic regulation, physiological adaptations, and behavioral and psychological traits.
Over evolutionary time periods (e.g., millenia), extreme environments exert selective pressure on the human genome, leading to the retention of genetic variations that are advantageous for survival.
Although natural selection cannot operate on humans across short time scales, existing genetic variation can be important in human adaptation (or maladaptation) to extreme environments they choose to enter for recreation or occupational operations.
Extreme environments can influence gene expression, epigenetics, and other molecular endophenotypes. These changes can affect an individual throughout their life and may even be inherited by offspring.
The goal of this research topic is to study the intersection of extreme environments and human genetics. Manuscripts focusing on either selective pressure on human populations adapted to extreme environments or on the effect of extreme environments on omics are welcome. Manuscripts integrating the intersection of these two phenomena (at very different timescales) are particularly welcome. All manuscripts must have a primary focus on genomics.
We welcome submissions of any article type except Case Reports, including (but not limited to) research on the following sub-themes:
• Genetic regulatory mechanisms of adaptive changes and pathological damage in extreme environments (especially extreme heat, extreme cold, and high altitude).
• Identification and analysis of genetic variations that are advantageous for survival in extreme environments (especially extreme heat, extreme cold, and high altitude).
• How extreme environments affect gene expression through epigenetic mechanisms
• How humans adapt and acclimate via omics mechanisms to extreme environments, and the intersection of these omics with physiological subsystems such as temperature regulation or metabolic adjustments
• Studies of the genetic basis of the behavioral and psychological traits of people and populations surviving in extreme environments, such as tolerance, adaptability, and psychological resilience
• Investigation on genetic variations that contribute to susceptibility to pathological damage in extreme environments, such as heat stress, cold stress, and hypoxia stress
• Investigations of genetic screening, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention for extreme environment human health issues, such as heat stroke, hyperthermia, frostbite, hypothermia, high altitude pulmonary and cerebral edema, hypoxia, and decompression sickness.
Manuscripts in this Research Topic may ultimately support private, commercial, and governmental strategic goals, such as environmental protection, military operations, space exploration, and disaster response, where human exposure to extreme environments is inevitable.
Over evolutionary time periods (e.g., millenia), extreme environments exert selective pressure on the human genome, leading to the retention of genetic variations that are advantageous for survival.
Although natural selection cannot operate on humans across short time scales, existing genetic variation can be important in human adaptation (or maladaptation) to extreme environments they choose to enter for recreation or occupational operations.
Extreme environments can influence gene expression, epigenetics, and other molecular endophenotypes. These changes can affect an individual throughout their life and may even be inherited by offspring.
The goal of this research topic is to study the intersection of extreme environments and human genetics. Manuscripts focusing on either selective pressure on human populations adapted to extreme environments or on the effect of extreme environments on omics are welcome. Manuscripts integrating the intersection of these two phenomena (at very different timescales) are particularly welcome. All manuscripts must have a primary focus on genomics.
We welcome submissions of any article type except Case Reports, including (but not limited to) research on the following sub-themes:
• Genetic regulatory mechanisms of adaptive changes and pathological damage in extreme environments (especially extreme heat, extreme cold, and high altitude).
• Identification and analysis of genetic variations that are advantageous for survival in extreme environments (especially extreme heat, extreme cold, and high altitude).
• How extreme environments affect gene expression through epigenetic mechanisms
• How humans adapt and acclimate via omics mechanisms to extreme environments, and the intersection of these omics with physiological subsystems such as temperature regulation or metabolic adjustments
• Studies of the genetic basis of the behavioral and psychological traits of people and populations surviving in extreme environments, such as tolerance, adaptability, and psychological resilience
• Investigation on genetic variations that contribute to susceptibility to pathological damage in extreme environments, such as heat stress, cold stress, and hypoxia stress
• Investigations of genetic screening, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention for extreme environment human health issues, such as heat stroke, hyperthermia, frostbite, hypothermia, high altitude pulmonary and cerebral edema, hypoxia, and decompression sickness.
Manuscripts in this Research Topic may ultimately support private, commercial, and governmental strategic goals, such as environmental protection, military operations, space exploration, and disaster response, where human exposure to extreme environments is inevitable.
Keywords: Extreme Environments, Heat wave, Heat stroke, Hyperthermia, Hypothermia, Hypoxia, Extreme heat, High altitude, Extreme cold, Heat stress
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
