
Mouse found atop a 22,000-foot volcano, breaking world record - greenyoda
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2020/03/mouse-found-atop-volcano-highest-altitude-mammal
======
sradman
From the paper _Discovery of the world’s highest-dwelling mammal_ [1]

> Upper altitudinal limits of wild mammals in the Himalayas and Andes are
> generally thought to fall in the range 5200-5800 m above sea level. Such
> limits are surely dictated by food availability in addition to physiological
> capacities for tolerating hypoxia and extreme cold.

Which explains the significance of:

> we captured a specimen of the yellow-rumped leaf-eared mouse (Phyllotis
> xanthopygus rupestris) on the very summit of Llullaillaco at 6739 m

[1]
[https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.03.13.989822v1](https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.03.13.989822v1)

~~~
gibsonhouse
Maybe it was just an adventurous mouse?

~~~
vertis
Danger mouse

~~~
pandemic_region
Mighty mouse i'ld say.

------
lnyng
No joke my first thought reading the title was that some researcher left his
laptop equipment over there.

~~~
amelius
This made me think of this article:

[https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2006/may/17/arts.artsnews1](https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2006/may/17/arts.artsnews1)

~~~
ekrebs
For others interested, this was solved the next day.
[https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2006/may/19/martinwainwright....](https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2006/may/19/martinwainwright.uknews2)

~~~
Someone
That’s a variation on extreme ironing, _“an extreme sport in which people take
ironing boards to remote locations and iron items of clothing. According to
the Extreme Ironing Bureau, extreme ironing is "the latest danger sport that
combines the thrills of an extreme outdoor activity with the satisfaction of a
well-pressed shirt”_
([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extreme_ironing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extreme_ironing))

~~~
amelius
> That’s a variation on extreme ironing

I'd say an _extreme_ variation of it ;)

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zwarag
22000 foot are 6705.6 meters.

~~~
Tempest1981
Although beware excessive precision:
[https://blog.plover.com/physics/precision.html](https://blog.plover.com/physics/precision.html)

Maybe 6700 meters, to match the 2 digits of precision.

Although from the article: "he encountered another yellow-rumped mouse even
higher than previously sighted, atop the very summit of Llullaillaco, at
22,110 feet" -> 6739 meters

~~~
CydeWeys
I feel like this is still an unsolved notational problem. Let's say I want to
give you the elevation of Mt Everest in feet to 3 sig figs. I could say 29,000
ft, but that'd be misread as 2 sig figs. So I have to say something like 290
_10^2 , or 2.90_ 10^4 , to convey the correct information. Or just 2.90e4.
Maybe there's nothing better?

Famously, the original surveyor of Mt Everest calculated 29,000 exactly but
lied and added 2 feet to make it 29,002 so that people would understand he
meant 5 sig figs, not just 2. That's one way of solving the problem ...

~~~
BurningFrog
It's easy enough to invent a notation, like

    
    
        29,0·00
    

Maybe this new standard notation was born today on HN!

~~~
drivers99
The usual way is a line. It can be faked here with code formatting (4 spaces
to force mono font) and underscores:

    
    
        ___
        29000

~~~
CydeWeys
It bothers me that this overloads the notation for repeating fractions. I
guess there wouldn't be a use case requiring both in a single number, but you
can imagine multiple numbers on the same page using this formatting for
different purposes and it being confusing.

And it's fine for writing out by hand or in TeX (I assume), but good luck
using it in any other context as we see here! Ideally a notation would be
keyboard-friendly, at least for something with as wide an applicability as
this anyway.

But this is certainly a good starting point.

~~~
a1369209993
> multiple numbers on the same page using this formatting for different
> purposes and it being confusing.

I think it's unambigous at least: 2̅9̅0̅00 vs 11̅.̅4̅2̅8̅5̅7̅; sigfigs has
overline at the start, while repeating has overline at the end.

------
ilamont
There's a spider in the Himalayas that lives at even higher altitudes, living
on rocks warmed by the sun and surviving on gnats and flies that get blown up
the mountain from temperate climates.

~~~
lioeters
Curiosity led me to the Himalayan jumping spider:

> Euophrys omnisuperstes (the species name means "standing above everything"),
> the Himalayan jumping spider, is a small jumping spider that lives at
> elevations of up to 6,700 m (22,000 ft) in the Himalayas, including Mount
> Everest, making it a candidate for the highest known permanent resident on
> Earth. They are found among rocky debris, feeding on tiny, stray springtails
> and flies.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euophrys_omnisuperstes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euophrys_omnisuperstes)

------
carapace
(Aw, I read "Moose" and was so disappointed when I clicked through.)

As a random tidbit there's also a bizarre tiny pink armadillo that lives up
there. It lives in holes and has a plug-shaped rear end. It's one of those
critters that, when you see it, makes you go "C'mon Nature, you're putting me
on, eh?"

~~~
ComputerGuru
Surely not? The point of the find is that this is the first time a mammal has
been found at such an elevation.

~~~
carapace
Sorry, I meant the high mountain desert, not all the way up there where the
mouse is.

------
ketamine__
They should give the mouse an MRI.

[https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/brain-cells-
into-...](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/brain-cells-into-thin-
air/)

~~~
karaterobot
If you give a mouse an MRI, he'll ask for a PET scan.

~~~
DoofusOfDeath
And when you give him an ultrasound, he'll ask for sound-conducting jelly.

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swebs
>It’s incredible that anything could live that high, at 20,340 feet—there is
no vegetation, and seemingly nothing to eat.

There's clearly vegetation in the background of the photo.

~~~
4cao
Seems like the photo was taken at a lower altitude. What the summit actually
looks like can be seen in the video:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGUDXs8Z31A](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGUDXs8Z31A)

------
pandler
> The work has received funding from the National Geographic Society and the
> U.S. National Institutes of Health, as better understanding adaptations to
> high altitude life is “potentially relevant in treating a number of human
> diseases that relate to... problems with oxygen delivery and oxygen
> utilization,” he says.

I often wonder how discoveries like this ultimately manifest into actionable
technology. Are they studying cell structure? DNA? What does that process look
like?

> The results could also aid doctors in treating altitude sickness and coping
> with life at high altitude or elsewhere where there are low levels of
> oxygen.

That makes me wonder if the end goal is some kind of pharmaceutical drug.

Very interesting nonetheless!

~~~
maxbond
I think the reality is that researchers justify themselves to grant writing
organizations in whatever way they can but are often just doing science for
it's own sake.

Anecdotally, I watched a talk about how the structure of the ribosome was
solved, and the researcher mentioned that they justified themselves to grant
writing organizations by saying it would help develop antibiotics - which did
turn out to be the case, but they described themselves as feeling amused
rather than vindicated.

I believe it was this talk.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRIDCQM3d7I](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRIDCQM3d7I)

~~~
kaonwarb
Bingo. While understandable, I fear the need to justify nearly all research by
potential foreseeable gain limits our ability to invest in truly fundamental
science.

~~~
bonoboTP
Well, researchers have learned to play the game and with enough creativity you
can make up potential applications for grant writing purposes.

------
cko
“These creatures you call mice you see are not quite as they appear, they are
merely the protrusions into our dimension of vast, hyper-intelligent pan-
dimensional beings.” ~ Slartibartfast, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

~~~
zidad
I think he was just trying to hitch a ride from a high point before the
impending destruction of Earth

~~~
JdeBP
It's an experiment upon humans of course. Be found where no mouse should be;
see how humans react on Hacker News. (-:

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fortran77
Not just any mouse, a "yellow-rumped leaf-eared mouse". And he's _adorable_!

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mrfusion
How does this altitude compare with ground level on mars? Air pressure wise.

~~~
_Microft
Air pressure on Earth at 6700m is around 430mBar. [0] Pressure on Mars (at the
artificially defined zero-level) is 6 mBar [1] and twice as much at the lowest
point of Mars' surface [2], Hellas Planitia, which is a huge crater in the
southern hemisphere with its lowest point around 9000m below zero.

[0]
[https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=air+pressure+6700m](https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=air+pressure+6700m)

[1]
[https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_(Planet)](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_\(Planet\))

[2]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellas_Planitia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellas_Planitia)

~~~
mrfusion
Ah thanks! So the mouse couldn’t live there ...

~~~
stjohnswarts
the lack of oxygen would get it first i think :)

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compressedgas
How long was the mouse's tail?

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spsrich2
In 1927 col walter snetterton disappeared while trying to cross the Andes by
frog. Maybe someone tried with mice?

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burtonator
I read it as MOOSE and I was like HOLY CRAP!

------
social_quotient
Who moved my cheese?

Good book

------
sam0x17
Oh, an actual mouse, not a computer mouse.

------
spodek
Nature's resilience, adaptability, and resourcefulness underscores how much we
have to pollute it to cause so many extinctions, deserts, and wastelands. How
much beauty do we have to see or lose to change our values from growth at all
costs and externalizing costs to enjoying what we have and taking
responsibility for how our behavior affects others?

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chrispeel
It seems convenient that the scientists who arranged an expedition to look for
mice at high altitude find one higher than any mouse seen before. My skeptical
side wonders if the guy who was obviously at the peak before Jay Storz in the
video, brought the mouse up, and let it go so that it could be found.
Hopefully unrelated researchers who don't use the same guides, etc... are able
to also find mice at similarly high altitudes.

~~~
wtallis
That's not skepticism, that's conspiracy theory. The previous record elevation
for finding a mouse was _on the same mountain_. It would be more surprising if
the first expedition actually found the elevation limit of these mice, rather
than the follow-up expedition that was specifically investigating whether they
ranged any higher.

