Extreme Physiology

Extreme Physiology runs at the Edinburgh Futures Institute on 10 and 11 December, two days of talks on how the human body holds up when pushed to its limits. It's staged with the University of Edinburgh's Institute for Regeneration and Repair, and it brings together scientists, clinicians, explorers and innovators to look at physiology in extreme environments. The core themes are high-altitude adaptation, human performance, the limits of human physiology and translating those extremes back to health.

The conference marks 25 years of Altitude Physiology Expeditions (APEX), a registered charity founded in 2001 by University of Edinburgh medical students to study the effects of hypoxia on human physiology. Since then, it's led seven high-altitude expeditions to South America. The programme runs from talks by international experts to clinical updates, and if you're working in the field, you can submit an abstract of up to 300 words for an oral or poster presentation by 31 October 2026.

The line-up pulls from a few different worlds. You've got altitude physiologist Rob Roach, Professor of Experimental Medicine and APEX founder Kenneth Baillie, ultra-marathon runner Jasmin Paris MBE, Everest summiteer and Professor of Surgery Chris Imray, and cold immersion expert Mike Tipton. It's a mix of academic and first-hand experience, with people who've spent their careers studying these conditions and others who've lived them.

Both days run from 9 am to 5 pm at the Edinburgh Futures Institute, 1 Lauriston Place, EH3 9EF. Tickets are £150 regular, £100 if you're submitting an abstract, and £25 for students, with the APEX Dinner an extra £75.