English 
Spanish 
3 min read 
1 comments 
If you think evolution is slow, Tibetans prove you wrong! Science has revealed a surprising secret about their extreme resilience – and it could change our view of humanity’s future
Breathing at the highest point on the planet is no easy task. Recently, Kilian Jornet told in The revolt who, during his descent from Everest, suffered hallucinations and came to believe he was dreaming, to the point of almost throwing himself into the void. His experience has a scientific explanation: At high altitudes, the oxygen concentration in the air decreases dramatically, affecting the human body.
Yet Tibetans have lived in these extreme conditions for more than 10.000 years—and they’ve not only survived, they’ve thrived. How is this possible? This question has puzzled anthropologists for decades. Traditional theory suggests that evolution is a slow process, and that modern humans are not much different from their Paleolithic ancestors.
So, if we all share the same origin, how did the Tibetans manage to adapt so well to the altitude?
- A team of physicists and engineers have discovered a way to make LED pixels as small as a virus
- You can never be too careful when hackers are reinventing phishing and putting your security at risk
- Researchers are working to improve a process that captures CO₂ while treating biodiesel wastewater and producing valuable co-products such as green fuels and chemicals
- US farmers surprise by using urine as fertilizer and betting on a sustainable alternative to increase productivity
An evolutionary adaptation in full swing
The answer lies in evolution happening in real time. Recently, anthropologist Cynthia Beall of Case Western Reserve University published a study in PNAS which sheds light on this issue. Their research demonstrates that certain physiological characteristics of Tibetan women give them a reproductive advantage in an oxygen-depleted environment.
To reach this conclusion, Beall and his team analyzed 417 Tibetan women between the ages of 46 and 86 who live in Upper Mustang, Nepal, about 4.000 meters above sea level.
They collected information on their reproductive history, physiological parameters, DNA samples and social factors, with the aim of understanding how the ability to transport oxygen under hypoxic conditions influenced the number of live births. This factor is crucial, as the number of live births is a key measure of evolutionary success.
The results were revealing: women with more children had a specific blood and heart profile that facilitated the distribution of oxygen throughout their bodies. In particular, although their hemoglobin levels were similar to those of other women, the saturation of this hemoglobin was higher.
This adaptive mechanism is essential because it allows us to optimize oxygen transport without increasing blood viscosity, thus avoiding overloading the heart. In other words, it is an efficient evolutionary solution for surviving in a hostile environment.
Beyond Tibet: Lessons for the Future of Humanity
The study not only highlights the incredible adaptability of Tibetan women, but also provides fundamental insights into how humans can evolve in extreme environments. According to Beall, this is a clear case of natural selection in action, where physiological adaptations allow Tibetan women to balance their oxygen needs without compromising their cardiovascular health.
But this discovery has even broader implications. As humanity moves toward colonizing other planets, understanding how our bodies adapt to radically different conditions will be essential.
The human species as we know it has been shaped by Earth's environmental conditions. If we ever become an interplanetary civilization, the evolutionary differences between those who live on other worlds and those who remain on Earth may become irreversible.
The irony is obvious: the more we adapt to new frontiers, the less likely we are to return to our original home. Evolution, inevitable and relentless, may make the Earth itself a strange place for those who one day leave.
But what are the harmful effects of zero gravity on the human body? How to get around this?