Bioconvergence: A New Frontier for Understanding and Enhancing Human Adaptations to Extreme Environments

Background
Bioconvergence is the merging of data from a spectrum of research disciplines, including life science, engineering, and advanced data science, to develop innovative technologies and solutions for addressing various biological and medical challenges. Extreme environments, such as high altitude, excessive cold or heat, deep sea, and space, present unique challenges to human physiology. These environments can cause significant physiological changes, such as hypoxia, hypercapnia, and hypothermia, which can impact human health and performance. Bioconvergence becomes the platform by which multidisciplinary teams investigate human adaptations to extreme environments through the collection of advanced multidimensional data. This platform promotes multi-omic analyses, the development of bioengineered solutions, and the creation of sophisticated models and simulations from advanced bioinformatics using artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML). This inherently interdisciplinary approach can provide new insights into the biological mechanisms underlying human adaptability, potentially leading to the development of new technologies and interventions to improve human performance in extreme environments.

Goal
The aim of this Research Topic (initiative) is to collect current and emerging research from across scientific domains to advance our understanding of the human body's remarkable capacity for physiological and genetic adaptation. Further, it highlights the latest trends and multidisciplinary approaches from fields such as physiology, genetics, and anthropology, as well as advanced technologies and data analysis techniques, to enhance our understanding of adaptation and performance. The goal is to understand how a comprehensive bioconvergence framework can generate new insights into the biological mechanisms underlying human adaptability to extreme environments, potentially leading to the development of new interventions to improve human performance and health in these challenging conditions.

Scope and information for authors
To advance our knowledge in this rapidly evolving field of multi-disciplinary human performance research, the scope of this Research Topic encompasses a broad range of advanced convergent methodological approaches employed to evaluate the complex interactions between human physiology and extreme environments. Author contributions for this Research Topic should include, but are not limited to:
• Genotype-to-phenotype relationships of hot and cold environments, and high altitude
• Multi-omic changes induced by extreme environments and the impact on human performance
• Physiological predication models of human performance at high altitude
• In vitro models of physiological responses to extreme environments at the cellular level
• AI/ML approaches to identify individual adaptations to extreme environments
• Biosensor technologies and bioengineered solutions for human adaptation to extreme environments

By combining insights from multiple disciplines and using advanced technologies, bioconvergence can provide new insights and solutions that can help humans adapt and thrive in extreme environments.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Extreme Environments, genetic adaptation, physical adaptation, enhanced performance, multiomics, altitude, depth, hypoxia, hyperthermia, hypothermia, stress

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.