Highly Evolved Genes Allows Tibetans to Function Better at Higher Altitudes

The Tibetans can thank rapid gene evolution for their ability to get along just fine at incredibly high altitudes.

A study recently published in the journal Science compared the genes of 40 Tibetans and 50 Han Chinese who live nearby to find out why the Tibetans could live without experiencing severe lung or brain complications. The only difference between the two groups — the Tibetans live more than 14,000 feet above sea level. Eighty-seven percent of the Tibetans had the genes allowing them to live more comfortably in extremely high environments, while only 9-percent of the Han Chinese had the genes.

According to researchers, 10 genes were found that made living at high altitudes possible for the Tibetans, and two of those genes were traced back to blood-borne oxygen transportation. However, they suggest that more studies must be done to find out if there are more genes making this possible.

University of Nebraska evolutionary geneticist Jay Storz did not have a role in the study, but said the discovery is pretty phenomenal.

“The change at this particular position in Tibetan highlanders represents one of the most dramatic examples of genetic change in recent human history,” Storz said. “It really is a great story about how the human gene pool is still being shaped by the forces of natural selection.”

Scientists have also noticed that the blood hemoglobin levels of the Tibetans does not rise very much. Dr. Joseph T. Prchal, a hemotologist and professor of internal medicine at the University of Utah, said this was another interesting aspect of the Tibetans, and if understood, could be used to treat diseases.