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In the high elevations of the Himalayas, oxygen levels are low. The normal human physiological response to this environment is to produce more red blood cells. However, this makes the blood thicker, which in turn increases the risk of heart problems and difficulty in child birth. Professor of Evolutionary Genetics, Aoife McLysaght, explains how over the past few thousand years and many generations, the indigenous people of Tibet have adapted genetically to use oxygen extremely efficiently enabling them to live and work in these inhospitable conditions.

(Photo: Himalaya Nepalese mountaineer standing on a rocky slope at high Altitude. Credit: Getty Images)