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Environment

Extreme heat: Inside the expedition to find out how humans can adapt

Climate change means extreme heat will become the norm for millions across the world. We joined an experiment in the Saudi Arabian desert designed to find out what that means for our brains and bodies

By Graham Lawton

14 August 2023

Saudi Arabian desert extreme heat experiment

Graham Lawton

TRUDGING through hot, red sand is hard work, especially in temperatures above 40°C (104°F). After about 40 minutes, I am drenched, dehydrated and drained. I can’t imagine doing this for 40 days, dragging all my gear behind me – including 40 litres of water, enough for five days – on a two-wheeled trolley. But that is exactly what the people I am travelling with have just done.

I am in the Nafud desert, a vast tract of sandy and rocky wilderness in northern Saudi Arabia, to experience levels of heat that I am not built to endure – and…

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