A Half Century of High‐Altitude Studies in Anthropology: Introduction to the Plenary Session

Abstract

Until 50 years ago, high-altitude terrestrial research was conducted largely within the realm of environmental physiology, where interests were focused on physiological mechanisms and mountain exploration. Scientists from the United States, Europe, and Peru had developed sophisticated physiological models of adaptation and acclimatization to the hypoxia of high altitude, but very little research had been conducted on permanent residents, particularly natives of high altitude in the two major regions of the world-the Andes and the Himalayas. In 1962, Raul T. Baker initiated a project at the Pennsylvania State University to explore the responses of indigenous Peruvians to the major stresses at altitude: hypoxia and cold. Approaches to this early research were anthropological in perspective and centered on populationlevel studies with an evolutionary approach. Studies were conducted by applying a combination of physiological experimental methods, simulated field experiments, and extended anthropological field observations. Early hypotheses at this time were that heredity played a major role in the adaptive complexes in native high-altitude residents. These early hypotheses were later modified to incorporate or replace the genetic hypotheses with developmental adaptation models. A half century of research within anthropology and research in other fields has presented a vastly more complex and integrated picture of high-altitude adaptation in native residents. Recent studies incorporate physiology and oxygen transport, population and molecular genetics, reproduction, growth, and development. The history and current status of high-altitude research and its anthropological applications are treated in papers from this plenary symposium. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 25:148-150, 2013.

Centennial perspective on human adaptability

“…In addition, the shift from the early research designs that emphasized single population studies to those that focus on comparing adaptive patterns across populations, has allowed us to better understand the influence of natural selection on human variation. This has been particularly evident in high altitude research, where studies of indigenous highland populations of Tibet and Ethiopia clearly show striking differences in adaptive physiology and morphology from the classic “Andean” pattern documented by the IBP‐HAP studies (see Beall, ; Little, Thomas, & Garruto, , and Section 5.3). As such we are now gaining a much richer picture of how physiological acclimatization and natural selection interact to produce variation in adaptive responses to similar stressors in different populations.…”

Pearl Memorial Lecture. Humans at the extremes: Exploring human adaptation to ecological and social stressors

“…The development and impact of the biocultural and genetic/adaptive research domains have been particularly evident in high‐altitude research (Beall, 2013; Little et al, 2013). The original IBP high altitude research in the Andes found no evidence for genetic adaptations to altitude stress among the Quechua (Baker & Little, 1976).…”

When women work: Endocrine reactivity in women during everyday physical activity at high altitude

“…Populations living at HA experience pervasive and ever‐present stressors (e.g., hypoxia) that are not easily modified by cultural or behavioral responses (Beall, ; Frisancho, ). The study of these populations has long served as a foundational paradigm in biological anthropology, representing a robust model to not only study genetic adaptation, but also the role of phenotypic plasticity under extreme environmental stress (Frisancho, ; Little, Thomas, & Garruto, ).…”