Marcelo Hermes-Lima is a Brazilian biologist who received his PhD in 1991 in Rio de
Janeiro (Brazil). He works in the field of comparative animal physiology and
biochemistry, with a focus on antioxidants and oxidative stress. He was one of
the three original proponents of the "Preparation for Oxidative
Stress" (POS) hypothesis, published in 1998. This hypothesis predicts that
many animal species increase the efficiency or activity of their endogenous
antioxidant systems in preparation for oxidative stress caused by abiotic
environmental factors such as extreme cold, hypoxia, salinity stress and
others. The hypothesis was elevated to the status of a theory in 2015, when its
molecular mechanism was demonstrated by Hermes-Lima and co-authors (including Daniel
C. Moreira). Dr. Hermes-Lima is currently investigating the presence of the POS
mechanism in animals in their natural environments and exposed to multiple
stressors.
