Example of Quickest Case of Human Evolution

If you have ever visited an area of very high altitudes you may have experienced some discomfort know as mountain sickness. This is due to traveling to high altitudes at a fast pace and can also occur more commonly if you live at or near sea level. Symptoms include difficulty sleeping, fatigue, light-headedness, nausea and vomiting, shortness of breath, and heart palpitations.

With this being known, the people of Tibet live at altitudes 13,000 feet which means that they breath air that has 40% less oxygen then the air at sea level. However these people rarely experience mountain sickness. By comparing the genes of Tibetans with that of Han Chinese, biologists discovered at least 30 genes had undergone evolutional change due to the Tibetans adapted to a life high in the mountains. It has been confirmed that this is the most recent known example of evolutionary change in humans and the last know example of evolutionary change in humans was 7,500 years ago which dealt with Lactose tolerance.

The problem occurs when people who are used to living on lower lands try to migrate and settle at high altitudes. In order to compensate for less oxygen, their bodies make thicker blood due to creating more red blood cells. This overproduction of red blood cells leads to a more serious case of mountain fever and is linked to infertility. The statistic is that Han Chinese have three times the infant mortality then the of the Tibetan people.

When analyzing 3% of the genome of 50 Tibetans and 40 Han Chinese it was discovered that there were 30 genes that were rare among the Han Chinese and common among the Tibetans. In the most shocking instance, a version of a gene was found in 9% of Han Chinese but in 87% of Tibetans. The explanation for this is instance is natural selection which means that those that possess this version are surviving and producing more offspring then that of people who do not obtain the version. The gene that is being studied is known as hypoxia-inducible factor 2-alpha and the Tibetans with the favored gene possess fewer red blood cells and therefore less hemoglobin in their blood preventing them from obtaining mountain sickness.

I found this study very interesting because there are not many clear examples of evolution among humans when evolution is studied in classes. I find it very interesting that the people who live at these high altitudes have such a genetic variation so broad from that of people who live close to sea level. It makes me question whether the people of Tibet and other places of high altitude would get sick by traveling to sea level?

Albino Sea Cucumber Being Genetically Engineered in China

In Chinese culture, sea cucumbers are considered a delicacy, and are often served at banquets and dinner parties. However, one notch above the sea cucumber is the albino sea cucumber; a sea cucumber that lacks any kind of pigmentation. It was estimated in August of 2015 that 0.001% of all sea cucumbers have this rare phenotype. Because of their mutation, albino sea cucumbers are often consumed and bought by the rich. In fact, only a few years ago, five albino sea cucumbers were sold for about $26,000 US dollars. 

At the Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Science, Dr. Yang Hongsheng is leading a genetic engineering program geared towards the breeding of white sea cucumbers. This year alone, about 150 million white sea cucumbers were bred and released to the public. By taking white cucumbers and allowing them to mate, the phenotype of the offspring can be manipulated and can allow for a large number of albino sea cucumbers to be bred, rather than having only a very slight chance of it happening in the wild. This is still a new technology, and has yet to be brought into the food industry, but it is very possible that one day the Chinese will be able to pick up a frozen pack of albino sea cucumbers from their local supermarkets. 

A genetically engineered pig as well as genetically engineered salmon have recently emerged in the Canadian and American market as well. This is signifying the era of genetically engineered foods. Often times genetically engineered food is frowned upon because of its lack of organicness, but the increase in genetically engineered sea cucumbers could mean reducing the carbon footprint of China. If China could manage to do the same for all of it's other major food products from the sea, the production of the organisms could be done on land in farms, ultimately reducing the amount of ships in the oceans that could potentially be oceanic wildlife. 

The link to the New York Times article can be found here. 

The link to an article on the Genetic Literacy Project's website can be found here. 

Humans have a Nose for Gender.

According to researchers who report their findings in the Cell Press "Current Biology," the human body produces chemical cues that communicates genders to members of the opposite sex. Whiffs of the active steroid ingredients androstadienone, which in males and estratetraenol, which is in females, influences our perceptions on movement as being either more masculine or more feminine. this affect, which occurs completely without awareness, depends on both our biological sex and our sexual orientations. Wen Zhou of the Chinese Academy of Science states that, "our finding argue the existence of human sex pheromones, they show that the nose can sniff out gender from our body secretions even when we dont think we smell anything on the conscious level." researchers also found that homosexual males respond to gender pheromones more likely than heterosexual females, but bisexual or homosexual females responded the same as in heterosexual males and females. gender cues were very extreme and ambigous, smelling the hormones produced. this article is interesting and good to know fro scientific study. It shows how many other types of research is being produce for the human curiosity.




Original article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140501123449.html
secondary article: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/ist/?next=/science-nature/human-nose-can-distinguish-between-one-trillion-different-smells-180950175/

Chinese villagers ‘descended from Roman soldiers’

Genetic testing of villagers in the village of Liqian in north-western China has shown that their genetics is 56 percent Caucasian. Some features such as green or blue eyes, fair hair, and long noses led to the belief that these villagers may have some European ancestry. It is believed that Roman soldiers fighting the Han Chinese 2,000 years ago may be the source of this European ancestry. The theory is that Roman legionaries settled this region after retreating from a battle in 53 BC. This battle was between a Roman army led by Marcus Crassus and the Parthians who were much larger in number. This battle also signaled the end of the Romans expansion eastward with thousands of troops being killed and Marcus Crassus being beheaded.



Cai Junnian's green eyes give a hint he may be a descendant of Roman mercenaries who allegedly fought the Han Chinese 2,000 years ago

However, those troops that did escape are believed to have settled in this region of China. Archeologists also have plans to dig in this area and look for any remains of forts or other structures that could have been built by the Romans and add more proof to this theory. Most historians are still skeptical however, citing that they would need proof of the Romans being in the area, such as weapons, money, or other Roman artifacts.

I find this to be very interesting as it is an application of genetics that I would never have thought of. Using genetics to help learn about the history of civilizations 2,000 years prior is quite astonishing. It is again another indirect use of genetics to help further knowledge.