Genome analysis reveals the origins of genetic adaptations
for high altitude in Tibetans and suggests a novel mechanism for human
adaptation
Genetic adaptations for life at high elevations found in
residents of the Tibetan plateau likely originated around 30,000 years ago in
peoples related to contemporary Sherpa. These genes were passed on to more
recent migrants from lower elevations via population mixing, and then amplified
by natural selection in the modern Tibetan gene pool, according to a new study
by scientists from the University of Chicago and Case Western Reserve
University, published in Nature Communications on Feb. 10.