Everest Provides Laboratory For Mayo Clinic To Study Aging

A team from The Mayo Clinic set out this week to conduct research from the world's highest peak, since as it turns out the effects of altitude on the body mimic the symptoms of chronic conditions associated with aging, such as sleep apnea and heart disease.

The research team will monitor members of an Everest expedition co-sponsored by National Geographic, The North Face, and Montana State University from base camp, the clinic noted in a press release. Head researcher Bruce Johnson told The Minneapolis Star Tribune they will assemble a remote laboratory, allowing them to observe the affects of altitude on healthy bodies and hopefully gain insight into conditions such as pulmonary edema, a condition that effects both mountain climbers and heart patients. They will be blogging and tweeting from base camp, allowing interested parties at home to see their research in action.

Check out the video below for a dispatch from one of the climbers the Mayo clinic team will be monitoring: