Believe it or not, the human body can handle far colder conditions than most realize.
At -40°C, you could step outside without clothing for up to three minutes without serious harm. But below -60°C, bare skin freezes instantly, killing cells on contact. Venturing out naked in those temperatures would prove fatal almost immediately.
Wind dramatically amplifies the danger, making -20°C in a storm as lethal as calm -40°C conditions.
Intrigued by your body's other extremes? How high can you survive on a mountain? How long without food or water? What's the heaviest weight a human can carry? Explore these limits and more, starting on page 28 in Santé this month.
