Anal oxygen administration may save lives
Inspired by fish, researchers are planning oxygen enemas
FISH BREATHE through their gills. But some also breathe through their bottoms. Vertebrate guts are abundantly supplied with blood vessels, to enable them to absorb digested food. That means they can, in principle, absorb oxygen, too. And this is precisely what happens in species such as the weather loach (pictured).
This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “Bottom-breathers”
From the May 22nd 2021 edition
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