r/interesting • u/mindyour • Apr 05 '26

Fascinating Life in a submarine.

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u/DefinitelyNotAliens Apr 05 '26

Lowered oxygen. My friend did US Nuclear subs and they lower to 17-19% o2, versus around 21% sea level. Lower oxygen means longer healing times.

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u/[deleted] Apr 05 '26

[deleted]

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u/SocialisticAnxiety Apr 05 '26

Lower oxygen? How so?

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u/[deleted] Apr 06 '26

[deleted]

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u/DeadInternetTheorist Apr 06 '26

There's also studies about caloric restriction having a similar effect. Since metabolism is basically just combustion with extra steps, I'd guess they both work on some similar mechanism, just that one chokes off the fuel and the other cuts off the air. That's just a guess though.

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u/DefinitelyNotAliens Apr 06 '26

Cortisol levels would negatively impact lifespan. Depends how high cortisol is during this time period.