Researchers from University College London have found that Mountaineers near Mt. Everest have blood oxygen level 1/4 lower than normally find at sea level. The exception are people in cardiac arrest who show low oxygen levels. The acclimatization capabilities of humans are quite amazing.
This reminds me of Julie's research on squid which occupy a hypoxic zone in the oceans where very little can live. The proposal that Julie's research group puts forth is perhaps an evolution in their hemoglobin allows them to function with much less oxygen.
Such a suggestion for adaptation in humans doesn't seem to fit as human adaptation is more rapid than evolution would allow. The mountaineers' bodies are somehow otherwise adjusting to the low oxygen levels. The SciAm article proposes a couple of possibilities.
Your Unfaithful Servant
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