The Temperature the Human Body Cannot Survive

One recent case of extreme heat threatening health came at a jamboree in South Korea, where hundreds of scouts fell ill. ANTHONY WALLACE / AFP/File
One recent case of extreme heat threatening health came at a jamboree in South Korea, where hundreds of scouts fell ill. ANTHONY WALLACE / AFP/File
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The Temperature the Human Body Cannot Survive

One recent case of extreme heat threatening health came at a jamboree in South Korea, where hundreds of scouts fell ill. ANTHONY WALLACE / AFP/File
One recent case of extreme heat threatening health came at a jamboree in South Korea, where hundreds of scouts fell ill. ANTHONY WALLACE / AFP/File

Scientists have identified the maximum mix of heat and humidity a human body can survive.

Even a healthy young person will die after enduring six hours of 35-degree Celsius (95 Fahrenheit) warmth when coupled with 100 percent humidity, but new research shows that threshold could be significantly lower.

At this point sweat -- the body's main tool for bringing down its core temperature -- no longer evaporates off the skin, eventually leading to heatstroke, organ failure and death, said AFP.

This critical limit, which occurs at 35 degrees of what is known as "wet bulb temperature", has only been breached around a dozen times, mostly in South Asia and the Arabian Gulf, Colin Raymond of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory told AFP.

None of those instances lasted more than two hours, meaning there have never been any "mass mortality events" linked to this limit of human survival, said Raymond, who led a major study on the subject.

But extreme heat does not need to be anywhere near that level to kill people, and everyone has a different threshold depending on their age, health and other social and economic factors, experts say.

For example, more than 61,000 people are estimated to have died due to the heat last summer in Europe, where there is rarely enough humidity to create dangerous wet bulb temperatures.

But as global temperatures rise -- last month was confirmed on Tuesday as the hottest in recorded history -- scientists warn that dangerous wet bulb events will also become more common.

The frequency of such events has at least doubled over the last 40 years, Raymond said, calling the increase a serious hazard of human-caused climate change.

Raymond's research projected that wet bulb temperatures will "regularly exceed" 35C at several points around the world in the coming decades if the world warms 2.5C degrees above pre industrial levels.

'Really, really dangerous'Though now mostly calculated using heat and humidity readings, wet bulb temperature was originally measured by putting a wet cloth over a thermometer and exposing it to the air.

This allowed it to measure how quickly the water evaporated off the cloth, representing sweat off of skin.

The theorized human survival limit of 35C wet bulb temperature represents 35C of dry heat as well as 100 percent humidity -- or 46C at 50 percent humidity.

To test this limit, researchers at Pennsylvania State University in the United States measured the core temperatures of young, healthy people inside a heat chamber.

They found that participants reached their "critical environmental limit" -- when their body could not stop their core temperature from continuing to rise -- at 30.6C wet bulb temperature, well below the previously theorized 35C.

The team estimated that it would take between five to seven hours before such conditions would reach "really, really dangerous core temperatures," Daniel Vecellio, who worked on the research, told AFP.

The most vulnerableJoy Monteiro, a researcher in India who last month published a study in Nature looking at wet bulb temperatures in South Asia, said that most deadly heat waves in the region were well below the 35C wet bulb threshold.

Any such limits on human endurance are "wildly different for different people," he told AFP.

"We don't live in a vacuum -- especially children," said Ayesha Kadir, a pediatrician in the UK and health advisor at Save the Children.

Small children are less able to regulate their body temperature, putting them at greater risk, she said.

Older people, who have fewer sweat glands, are the most vulnerable. Nearly 90 percent of the heat-related deaths in Europe last summer were among people aged over 65.

People who have to work outside in soaring temperatures are also more at risk.

Whether or not people can occasionally cool their bodies down -- for example in air conditioned spaces -- is also a major factor.

Monteiro pointed out that people without access to toilets often drink less water, leading to dehydration.

"Like a lot of impacts of climate change, it is the people who are least able to insulate themselves from these extremes who will be suffering the most," Raymond said.

His research has shown that El Nino weather phenomena have pushed up wet bulb temperatures in the past. The first El Nino event in four years is expected to peak towards the end of this year.

Wet bulb temperatures are also closely linked to ocean surface temperatures, Raymond said.

The world's oceans hit an all-time high temperature last month, beating the previous 2016 record, according to the European Union's climate observatory.



Alla Abdunabi: Solo Show Transformed How I Engage With My Work

Artist Alla Abdunabi discusses her works with visitors at the exhibition (421 Arts Campus)
Artist Alla Abdunabi discusses her works with visitors at the exhibition (421 Arts Campus)
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Alla Abdunabi: Solo Show Transformed How I Engage With My Work

Artist Alla Abdunabi discusses her works with visitors at the exhibition (421 Arts Campus)
Artist Alla Abdunabi discusses her works with visitors at the exhibition (421 Arts Campus)

Libyan-British artist Alla Abdunabi is elated by the success of her debut solo exhibition, hosted by Abu Dhabi’s 421 Arts Campus as part of its 2025 winter season.

Exploring the concept of simulacra (how symbols evolve and shape cultural narratives) and how colonial history has shaped practices of care within museums, the exhibition runs from January 30 - May 4. 

Abdunabi is among the emerging artists supported by 421 Arts Campus, an independent platform in Abu Dhabi dedicated to fostering creative talent.

This year, the institution spotlighted her work with her first solo exhibition, ”Are your memories of me enough for you?”, offering audiences an intimate glimpse into her artistic journey.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat about her experience in Abu Dhabi, Abdunabi reflected on her participation in the 2025 cycle of the 421 Artistic Development Program and the launch of her first solo exhibition.

She said the program was a turning point for her, and that it gave her the chance to grow an artistic practice in a space of dialogue with other artists and mentors.

Working on a solo exhibition changed the way she engaged with her own work, she explained.

One of the key lessons Abdunabi learned was understanding how different bodies of work interact—conceptually and spatially. That added layers of complexity she found exciting, opening up new possibilities for exploration.

Conceptual Approach

Abdunabi’s academic background is not strictly in fine arts. She studied interdisciplinary design, focusing on motion graphics, spatial and experimental design, and art installations.

Her artistic practice has expanded beyond the existence of objects themselves to how they interact with the surrounding space—whether inside a white-walled gallery or in a public setting.

For Abdunabi, engaging with an artwork is as significant as the piece itself.

Research through design was a core part of her studies and remains central to Abdunabi’s approach today.

Even though the work has a conceptual nature, it always begins with research, using the history of objects to better understand the world we live in.

In “Are your memories of me enough for you?” Abdunabi examines the concept of false resemblance, questioning how truth is constructed and how objects shape specific versions of reality through their symbols.

She explores how these icons are preserved, restored, and reinterpreted over time, prompting reflections on how contemporary audiences engage with such narratives.

Her work draws from the theories of French philosopher Jean Baudrillard, who argued that in today’s world, images do not merely reflect reality but create their own, blurring the lines between authenticity and illusion.

In an era flooded with visual representations, Abdunabi investigates how individuals discern between the real and the fabricated.

Through her exhibition, she challenges the conventional role of images and symbols, positioning them as active agents in shaping truth rather than simply depicting it.

By presenting alternative narratives, the show encourages visitors to reflect on how easily new realities can be constructed through visual culture.

Abdunabi sees art as a fundamental force in shaping how history is remembered and interpreted. Cultural symbols, she argues, carry layers of meaning that evolve over time, influencing collective memory in ways that are not always immediately visible. Her work explores how these symbols are preserved, repurposed, or erased—and what those choices reveal about the narratives societies choose to uphold.

Her exhibition also raises critical questions about how institutions handle objects tied to histories of violence. It challenges audiences to consider how museums, archives, and galleries frame and present artifacts with legacies of displacement, destruction, or exploitation.

While these institutions often portray themselves as neutral spaces, they actively shape meaning through preservation, display, and classification.

Rather than offering definitive answers, Abdunabi’s work seeks to expose these underlying systems and interrogate the very concept of preservation. It questions whether preservation can, at times, serve as a form of erasure or control.

The exhibition also examines the relationship between objects and the spaces they inhabit—whether in public settings, artistic contexts, or museum collections—highlighting the complexities of storytelling across these different environments.

Blending Research and Artistic Experimentation

For Abdunabi, research is always the starting point of her creative process—but it extends beyond gathering information. Her approach involves complicating historical narratives and engaging in speculative and imaginative interventions through art.

Rather than treating research and artistic practice as separate processes that need balancing, she sees them as part of an ongoing dialogue. Research informs artistic decisions, while artistic interventions, in turn, open new perspectives for inquiry.

Material experimentation is also central to her practice. She combines academic research, rooted in literature and historical analysis, with sensory and experimental exploration—emphasizing the importance of physical interaction with objects and materials. This interplay between intellectual inquiry and hands-on experimentation shapes the depth and complexity of her work.

Looking Ahead: Expanding Artistic Exploration

Abdunabi aims to deepen her exploration of the themes she has been working on while pushing them into new forms. Recently, she has been reflecting on how history is confronted both within institutional spaces and beyond.

She is also keen to experiment with different media, particularly spatial and immersive approaches that enhance the experience of interacting with objects and images.

Ultimately, her goal remains the same—to continue asking questions and engaging with the world in ways that are both direct and necessary.