A significant anthropological problem in adaptational studies is how humans adapt to high altitudes. It has been demonstrated that not all human groups possess the same phenotypic responses to hypoxia. Because of the variation in conditions of previous studies, it has been difficult to determine whether phenotypic differences among high altitude populations in the Andes, the Himalayas and elsewhere are related to genetic differences, to differences in genotype-environmental interactions during development, to differences in nutrition and or disease, or to differences in barometric pressure that may exist between mountainous regions above and below the equator. This pilot study will explore in a systematic way the causes of population differences in phenotypic response to hypoxia among genetically similar and genetically diverse populations living above 3500 meters in one geographical area--Quinghai Province, China--thereby avoiding variations in study conditions that have hampered previous comparisons. The study will be carried out in collaboration with researchers from Beijing Medical University and the Xining First Hospital.
