South Korea’s Haenyeo—Did these legendary women evolve to dive?

An island 50 miles (80 kilometers) off the southern tip of the Korean Peninsula is home to a unique and celebrated community of women: the Haenyeo.

These women dive year-round off Jeju Island, collecting sea urchin, abalone and other seafood from the ocean floor, descending as much as 60 feet (18 meters) beneath the surface multiple times over the course of four to five hours each day.

[Melissa Ann Ilardo], along with colleagues in South Korea, Denmark and the United States, wanted to understand how the women manage this incredible physical feat. Specifically, the researchers wondered whether the divers have unique DNA that allows them to go without oxygen for so long ….

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The findings of their investigation, published in the scientific journal Cell Reports on May 2, uncovered unique genetic differences the Haenyeo have evolved to cope with the physiological stress of free diving. It’s a discovery that could one day lead to better treatments for blood pressure disorders, researchers say.

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