Sunday, April 7, 2013

Rapture

I do believe I've heard of the phenomenon of rapturing underwater if you deprive yourself of oxygen for too long.

Sandra Brown Rowbo — Atlantis Rapture — 1992

1 comment:

Daniel [oeconomist.com] said...

The so-called “rapture of the deep” is actually nitrogen narcosis, rather than oxygen starvation. At greater pressure (as from greater depth), more nitrogen is dissolved into the blood.

•Fun comic-book trivia: Elliot S. Maggin (the Absolute Worst Comic-Book Writer, Ever) referred to rapture of the deep as “rhapsody of the deep” in a Jason Bard story.

•Not-So-Fun Space Trivia: When a trio of cosmonauts were killed by rapid decompression in the 1971 Soyuz 11 disaster, many journalists confused this with the bends, but at least one confused it with nitrogen narcosis.