Fact Check

A recent study reveals that Tibetan communities have evolved unique physiological adaptations over more than 10,000 years, enabling them to survive and flourish in the harsh, oxygen-poor environment of the Tibetan Plateau. This discovery highlights how human evolution continues to respond to challenging living conditions. The research, led by Cynthia Beall, University Professor Emerita at Case Western Reserve University, was published on October 21 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). It explores how Tibetan women have evolved to improve their reproductive success despite the low oxygen levels at high altitudes, a condition known as hypoxia, which affects most people living at such elevations. “Adaptation to high-altitude hypoxia is fascinating because the s...