Physics of the 'bends': New study helps explain decompression sickness
Monday, June 28, 2010 - 13:14
in Physics & Chemistry
As you go about your day-to-day activities, tiny bubbles of nitrogen come and go inside your tissues. This is not a problem unless you happen to experience large changes in pressure, as scuba divers and astronauts may. During large, fast pressure drops, bubbles can grow, causing "the bends." A new study may provide a physical basis for the existence of these bubbles and help explain decompression sickness.