There are few things more iconic of the Gulf region than a camel being led through a desert of sand dunes.
For as long as 5,000 years, people on the Arabian peninsula have been working and travelling with these creatures, whose hardiness is as legendary as the landscape is unforgiving.
The animals can go long periods without eating thanks to their hump, which is filled with fat and can weigh more than 35kg. Perhaps more impressive though is the camel’s ability to carry on as normal even when there is little or nothing to drink.
While a human can typically survive only for days without water, for camels the timespan is measured in terms of months, at least in winter. They can lose as many as 25 gallons of water before their condition begins to seriously deteriorate.
One recent study on the dromedary, or Arabian camel, like those found in the UAE and elsewhere in the Gulf, highlights how the blood and circulatory system of these creatures cope when they are dehydrated.
The work, carried out by three Austrian-based researchers on camels kept at 1,700 metres above sea level in Gauteng province, South Africa, relates to the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood. It was undertaken for a conference in Kazakhstan.
The scientists took blood samples from 11 camels, 10 horses and 10 people then calculated what is known as the optimal haematocrit (opt.HCT) for the blood at a number of “shear rates”.
Haematocrit is the ratio of red blood cells to the total blood volume and the term derives from haemoglobin, the protein in blood that carries oxygen. The opt.HCT is the blood’s ideal concentration of red blood cells for transporting oxygen.
Below the opt.HCT, as the concentration of red blood cells rises, the blood’s oxygen-carrying capacity increases but, beyond it, the blood becomes so thick with cells it struggles to move and becomes less effective at carrying oxygen.
Meanwhile, the shear rate roughly equates to how fast the blood is moving.
By taking blood samples, centrifuging out the cells and carrying out calculations based on the viscosity of the blood, the researchers calculated a theoretical opt.HCT for camels, horses and people at a variety of shear rates.
In horses and people, opt.HCT becomes higher as shear rates increase. This is what we would expect: when blood is being pumped faster, a higher concentration of red blood cells allows blood to transport oxygen more effectively. When blood is moving more slowly, a higher concentration tends to impede flow, so the opt.HCT will be lower.
With camels, however, the opposite is found: with higher shear rates, the opt.HCT falls.
This result is surprising: at low flow rates, such as in venules (the small veins that collect blood from the capillaries and take it to the larger veins), blood flows more smoothly and easily when the blood is thicker.
There is, says Dr Roland Auer, a researcher in the Department of Biomedical Research at the Medical University of Vienna and one of the study’s authors, an explanation for this.
“That the ‘optimal haematocrit’ is higher in venules and veins may offer an advantage when blood is thickened, for instance due to dehydration,” he says.
The scientists suggest in their paper that the pattern of opt.HCT in camels represents “the result of the remarkable adaptation of this species to the harsh natural environment”.
The study’s lead author, Dr Ursula Windberger, a veterinary surgeon and associate professor at the same university, says the characteristic represents “a great benefit for the animal” in dry, desert environments with little food and water.
“It’s extremely specified to starving and water deprivation, so we should expect the blood would get thicker and more viscous. When there are regions in the peripheral circulation where there’s low blood flow, that would increase the viscosity dramatically,” she said.
The mechanism that prevents sluggish blood flow is, she added, a “most important” adaptation and one the researchers did not expect to see.
Factors that could explain this property of the camel’s circulatory system include the shape and properties of the camel’s red blood cells. The skeleton of these cells is much more inflexible than in other mammals, and so the cell shape changes less even when blood velocity is high. Also, the cells have less of a tendency to aggregate than those in many other animals, something else that could help to explain the surprising properties of camel blood.
Another feature of camel physiology, described by the same authors in a separate paper published recently in the Emirates Journal of Food and Agriculture, is that when camels exercise, the concentration of red blood cells does not increase much. This contrasts with horses, where exercise leads to a significant increase in the haematocrit level.
When a camel is running, the shear rate of the blood increases. Because at higher shear rates in camels, the opt.HCT falls, so there would be little advantage in an increase in the haematocrit level – it would not give them any advantage.
However, Dr Windberger cautions that the camels were being exercised at a high altitude and the results may be different if similar tests are carried out closer to sea level. So, for the moment, it is difficult to draw any firm conclusions that could have relevance for racing camels.
She is now in touch with scientists in Saudi Arabia with a view to repeating the work in a desert environment at sea level.
“We would really like to repeat our experiment there to see if we can repeat it, if we can get the same values,” said Dr Windberger. The third co-author of the two recent studies is Dr Andreas Gleiss, also of the Medical University of Vienna.
The researchers are looking to carry out similar work with other camelid species to see if they, too, show the same physiological adaptations to the Arabian camel.
These detailed adaptations highlighted by the recent work are less obvious to the naked eye than the large hump that sits on the camel’s back – but they are just as remarkable.
newsdesk@thenational.ae
Gender pay parity on track in the UAE
The UAE has a good record on gender pay parity, according to Mercer's Total Remuneration Study.
"In some of the lower levels of jobs women tend to be paid more than men, primarily because men are employed in blue collar jobs and women tend to be employed in white collar jobs which pay better," said Ted Raffoul, career products leader, Mena at Mercer. "I am yet to see a company in the UAE – particularly when you are looking at a blue chip multinationals or some of the bigger local companies – that actively discriminates when it comes to gender on pay."
Mr Raffoul said most gender issues are actually due to the cultural class, as the population is dominated by Asian and Arab cultures where men are generally expected to work and earn whereas women are meant to start a family.
"For that reason, we see a different gender gap. There are less women in senior roles because women tend to focus less on this but that’s not due to any companies having a policy penalising women for any reasons – it’s a cultural thing," he said.
As a result, Mr Raffoul said many companies in the UAE are coming up with benefit package programmes to help working mothers and the career development of women in general.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 1 (Greenwood 77')
Everton 1 (Lindelof 36' og)
History's medical milestones
1799 - First small pox vaccine administered
1846 - First public demonstration of anaesthesia in surgery
1861 - Louis Pasteur published his germ theory which proved that bacteria caused diseases
1895 - Discovery of x-rays
1923 - Heart valve surgery performed successfully for first time
1928 - Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin
1953 - Structure of DNA discovered
1952 - First organ transplant - a kidney - takes place
1954 - Clinical trials of birth control pill
1979 - MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, scanned used to diagnose illness and injury.
1998 - The first adult live-donor liver transplant is carried out
Brief scores
Barcelona 2
Pique 36', Alena 87'
Villarreal 0
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: 3S Money
Started: 2018
Based: London
Founders: Ivan Zhiznevsky, Eugene Dugaev and Andrei Dikouchine
Sector: FinTech
Investment stage: $5.6 million raised in total
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
Kill
Director: Nikhil Nagesh Bhat
Starring: Lakshya, Tanya Maniktala, Ashish Vidyarthi, Harsh Chhaya, Raghav Juyal
Rating: 4.5/5
Sam Smith
Where: du Arena, Abu Dhabi
When: Saturday November 24
Rating: 4/5
Yahya Al Ghassani's bio
Date of birth: April 18, 1998
Playing position: Winger
Clubs: 2015-2017 – Al Ahli Dubai; March-June 2018 – Paris FC; August – Al Wahda
Company Profile
Name: Direct Debit System
Started: Sept 2017
Based: UAE with a subsidiary in the UK
Industry: FinTech
Funding: Undisclosed
Investors: Elaine Jones
Number of employees: 8
Results:
6.30pm: Maiden Dh165,000 2,000m - Winner: Powderhouse, Sam Hitchcott (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer)
7.05pm: Handicap Dh165,000 2,200m - Winner: Heraldic, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
7.40pm: Conditions Dh240,000 1,600m - Winner: Walking Thunder, Connor Beasley, Ahmed bin Harmash
8.15pm: Handicap Dh190,000 2,000m - Winner: Key Bid, Fernando Jara, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
8.50pm: The Garhoud Sprint Listed Dh265,000 1,200m - Winner: Drafted, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson
9.25pm: Handicap Dh170,000 1,600m - Winner: Cachao, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar
10pm: Handicap Dh190,000 1,400m - Winner: Rodaini, Connor Beasley, Ahmed bin Harmash
Company Profile
Name: Neo Mobility
Started: February 2023
Co-founders: Abhishek Shah and Anish Garg
Based: Dubai
Industry: Logistics
Funding: $10 million
Investors: Delta Corp, Pyse Sustainability Fund, angel investors
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Confirmed bouts (more to be added)
Cory Sandhagen v Umar Nurmagomedov
Nick Diaz v Vicente Luque
Michael Chiesa v Tony Ferguson
Deiveson Figueiredo v Marlon Vera
Mackenzie Dern v Loopy Godinez
Tickets for the August 3 Fight Night, held in partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi, went on sale earlier this month, through www.etihadarena.ae and www.ticketmaster.ae.
Visa changes give families fresh hope
Foreign workers can sponsor family members based solely on their income
Male residents employed in the UAE can sponsor immediate family members, such as wife and children, subject to conditions that include a minimum salary of Dh 4,000 or Dh 3,000 plus accommodation.
Attested original marriage certificate, birth certificate of the child, ejari or rental contract, labour contract, salary certificate must be submitted to the government authorised typing centre to complete the sponsorship process
In Abu Dhabi, a woman can sponsor her husband and children if she holds a residence permit stating she is an engineer, teacher, doctor, nurse or any profession related to the medical sector and her monthly salary is at least Dh 10,000 or Dh 8,000 plus accommodation.
In Dubai, if a woman is not employed in the above categories she can get approval to sponsor her family if her monthly salary is more than Dh 10,000 and with a special permission from the Department of Naturalization and Residency Dubai.
To sponsor parents, a worker should earn Dh20,000 or Dh19,000 a month, plus a two-bedroom accommodation
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Power: 110 horsepower
Torque: 147Nm
Price: From Dh59,700
On sale: now
Ruwais timeline
1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established
1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants
1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed
1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.
1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex
2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea
2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd
2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens
2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies
2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export
2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.
2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery
2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital
2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13
Source: The National
THE BIO
Favourite place to go to in the UAE: The desert sand dunes, just after some rain
Who inspires you: Anybody with new and smart ideas, challenging questions, an open mind and a positive attitude
Where would you like to retire: Most probably in my home country, Hungary, but with frequent returns to the UAE
Favorite book: A book by Transilvanian author, Albert Wass, entitled ‘Sword and Reap’ (Kard es Kasza) - not really known internationally
Favourite subjects in school: Mathematics and science
BACK TO ALEXANDRIA
Director: Tamer Ruggli
Starring: Nadine Labaki, Fanny Ardant
Rating: 3.5/5
DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin
Director: Shawn Levy
Rating: 3/5
Company Profile
Name: HyveGeo
Started: 2023
Founders: Abdulaziz bin Redha, Dr Samsurin Welch, Eva Morales and Dr Harjit Singh
Based: Cambridge and Dubai
Number of employees: 8
Industry: Sustainability & Environment
Funding: $200,000 plus undisclosed grant
Investors: Venture capital and government
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Haltia.ai
Started: 2023
Co-founders: Arto Bendiken and Talal Thabet
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: AI
Number of employees: 41
Funding: About $1.7 million
Investors: Self, family and friends