There are always three factors involved in survival, no matter how toxic the environment. One is the physical reality; the second is dumb luck; and the third is the response of the organism, which can often modify the influence of the first two. The relationship of these three factors can be imagined as dials on an amplifier, with survival depending on the overall mix. Whenever the first two dials—physical reality and dumb luck—are turned up to maximum volume, the third dial will not make any difference. That would be true in cases of being held under water, falling out of an airplane,
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