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Superposed epoch analysis of physiological fluctuations: possible space weather connections

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Abstract

There is a strong connection between space weather and fluctuations in technological systems. Some studies also suggest a statistical connection between space weather and subsequent fluctuations in the physiology of living creatures. This connection, however, has remained controversial and difficult to demonstrate. Here we present support for a response of human physiology to forcing from the explosive onset of the largest of space weather events—space storms. We consider a case study with over 16 years of high temporal resolution measurements of human blood pressure (systolic, diastolic) and heart rate variability to search for associations with space weather. We find no statistically significant change in human blood pressure but a statistically significant drop in heart rate during the main phase of space storms. Our empirical findings shed light on how human physiology may respond to exogenous space weather forcing.

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  1. Dr. Halberg consented to being identified with these data.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics and Computer Science, Presbyterian College, Clinton, SC, USA

    James Wanliss, Denzel Brown & Brien Washington

  2. Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, Halberg Chronobiology Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Germaine Cornélissen & Franz Halberg

Authors
  1. James Wanliss
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  2. Germaine Cornélissen
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  3. Franz Halberg
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  4. Denzel Brown
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  5. Brien Washington
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Correspondence to James Wanliss.

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Wanliss, J., Cornélissen, G., Halberg, F. et al. Superposed epoch analysis of physiological fluctuations: possible space weather connections. Int J Biometeorol 62, 449–457 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-017-1453-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-017-1453-7

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