A research expedition to Mount Everest has shed light on the unique physiological basis of adaptations seen in the native Sherpa people, which make them better suited to life at high altitude. This improved understanding, which forms part of new research published in Experimental Physiology, could help improve the treatment of patients with conditions related to reduced levels of oxygen in the blood and tissues. Sherpas are native, ancestral high-altitude dwellers, who are renowned for their ability to live and climb at Himalayan altitudes, where oxygen content is lower. Whilst genetic inheritance and natural selection are likely to have developed traits in Sherpas that favour survival at high altitude, the physiological basis underlying their superior performance has proven elusive.

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