Xuming Lyu , Yeping Han

Institute of Life Science, Jiyang College of Zhejiang A&F University, Zhuji, 311800, Zhejiang, China
Author    Correspondence author
International Journal of Molecular Evolution and Biodiversity, 2024, Vol. 14, No. 1   doi: 10.5376/ijmeb.2024.14.0002
Received: 22 Nov., 2023    Accepted: 03 Jan., 2024    Published: 19 Jan., 2024

This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Lyu X.M., and Han Y.P., 2024, Observing human evolution from high-altitude adaptation: genetic mechanisms revealed by GWAS, International Journal of Molecular Evolution and Biodiversity, 14(1): 10-17 (doi: 10.5376/ijmeb.2024.14.0002)

The study comprehensively explores the genetic mechanisms of human adaptation to high-altitude environments, with a focus on how genome-wide association studies (GWAS) reveal key genetic factors associated with high-altitude adaptation. The study introduces the challenges that high-altitude environments pose to human physiology and their impact on human evolution. It emphasizes the importance of studying high-altitude adaptive evolution in understanding human genetic diversity and evolutionary processes, and elaborates on the basic concepts and working principles of GWAS. Through specific case studies, such as the study of Xizang plateau residents, the achievements of GWAS in identifying key genes and biological pathways related to high-altitude adaptation are demonstrated. This study aims to enrich the understanding of human evolution and provide valuable genetic information for biomedical research, especially on how the human body responds to extreme environmental conditions such as hypoxia.

High-altitude adaptability; Genome-wide association studies (GWAS); Genetic mechanisms; Human evolution; Biological pathways