Human adaptation to extreme environmental conditions

Modern humans inhabit most of earth's harshest environments and display a wide array of lifestyles. Biological adaptations, in addition to technological innovations, have enabled these geographical and cultural explorations. The study of these adaptations helps not only to fundamentally underst...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Current Opinion in Genetics & Development
Main Authors: Ilardo, Melissa, Nielsen, Rasmus
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: 2018
Subjects:
Online Access:https://curis.ku.dk/portal/da/publications/human-adaptation-to-extreme-environmental-conditions(747204d4-027a-46ff-9191-e41ddb9f6fef).html
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gde.2018.07.003
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Summary:Modern humans inhabit most of earth's harshest environments and display a wide array of lifestyles. Biological adaptations, in addition to technological innovations, have enabled these geographical and cultural explorations. The study of these adaptations helps not only to fundamentally understand our evolution as a species, but also may have increasing relevance as genomics transforms fields such as personalized medicine. Here we review three cultural and environmental shifts that have brought about adaptations in modern humans; the arctic, high altitudes, and a subsistence dependent on breath-hold diving.