Sherpa DNA

Thanks to Maria's son for his questions about the Sherpas.

We will be working with Sherpas on this expedition. We have a very stong team led by our Sirdar, Pema, who will be assisting our climbing team at Everest Base Camp, and higher on the mountain. We will also be employing porters, who may not be Sherpas. The name Sherpa refers to the ethnic group that these people belong to, not the job that they do.

The Sherpa people have lived at altitude for a long time, and it is believed that their bodies have adapted to cope with this. Some research looking at their DNA suggests that there may be differences. We will not be studying the Sherpas on this occasion. We are looking at how individuals adapt to low oxygen environments over a period of time. The Sherpa people are already in that environment, so will not show acute signs of adaptation, only long term signs.

A news story on the Sherpa people will be posted on the website in the next few of weeks, exploring the people in more detail. Look out for it.

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Blog by Kay Mitchell