Human physiology in extreme environments: lessons from life at the limits?

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Abstract
A robust definition of extreme environment is difficult to frame and is always contextually dependent on the object or person exposed to the environment and the subject of study. Most definitions with respect to the study of human medicine and biology incorporate the requirement for either physiological adaptation or technological innovation in order to survive. Simple stress does not define an extreme environment; there must be a risk of illness or death in some, if not all, exposed individuals in order to justify the requirement for adaptation or innovation in order to survive. Whilst some definitions incorporate the psychological and sociological characteristics of an environment, this can result in difficulty in distinguishing the unpleasant from the dangerous (where survival is at stake).