Tibetans' high-altitude skills came via extinct cousin

Agence France-Presse July 3, 2014 3:01am Tibetans' high-altitude skills came via extinct cousin (Globalpost/GlobalPost) Tibetans are able to live at high altitude thanks to a special gene they inherited from a mysterious, now-extinct branch of the human family, scientists reported on Wednesday. The ancestors of today's Tibetans acquired a key variant of a gene regulating oxygen in the blood when they mated with a species of human called the Denisovans, they said. Contemporaries of the Neanderthals -- and like them, possibly wiped out by anatomically modern man, Homo sapiens -- the Denisovans first came to light only four years ago. Their existence was determined through a piece of finger bone and two molars unearthed at the Denisova Cave in southern Siberia's Altai Mountains and dated to some 80,000 years ago. Genetic sequencing found that before the Denisovans disappeared as a separate branch, they intermingled with H. sapiens, leaving traits that survive in the human DNA pool today. In a study published in the journal Nature, scientists in China, Tibet and the United States compared the genomes of 40 ethnic Tibetans and 40 ethnic Han Chinese. Buried in the Tibetans' gene code is an unusual variant of a gene called EPAS1 which regulates production of haemoglobin, the molecule that hauls oxygen around the blood, they found. EPAS1 is triggered when oxygen levels in the blood drop, causing more haemoglobin to be produced. At high altitude, common variants of the gene overproduce haemoglobin and red blood cells, causing the blood to become thick and sludgy -- a cause of hypertension, low birthweight and infant mortality. But the variant found in Tibetans increases production by much less, thus averting hypoxia problems experienced by many people who relocate to places above 4,000 metres (13,000 feet) in altitude. "We have very clear evidence that this version of the gene came from Denisovans," said Rasmus Nielsen, a professor of integrative biology at the University of California at Berkeley. "This shows very clearly and directly that humans evolved and adapted to new environments by getting their genes from another species." - Tibetan exception - The variant of EPAS1 in Tibetans is almost identical to that found in Denisovan samples. But apart from Han Chinese, there is no trace of it in other ethnic groups touched by the Denisovan legacy, including Melanesians, whose genome is five percent Denisovan -- the highest proportion. The study theorises that groups of H. sapiens came out of Africa and interbred with Denisovans as they passed through central Asia en route to China. The group that colonised China then split, with one population migrating to Tibet and the other staying behind to dominate the lowlands, where they became today's Han Chinese. As a result of further breeding within each tribe, 87 percent of Tibetans have the precious variant of EPAS1, compared with only nine percent of Han Chinese, even though they share a common ancestor, according to the investigation. Many other secrets remain to be teased out of our genetic treasure trove, the scientists believe. "The only reason why we can say that this bit of DNA is Denisovan is because of this lucky accident of sequencing DNA from a little bone found in a cave in Siberia," Nielsen said in a press release issued by the university. "(...) How many other species are out there that we haven't sequenced?" ri/mlr/fb ======= Burn, patient, burn: China's unusual medical therapy AFP Beijing, July 04, 2014 First Published: 13:39 IST(4/7/2014) Last Updated: 13:47 IST(4/7/2014) A therapist pours alcohol over a patient and sets him alight -- for some in China, playing with fire is a treatment for illness. So-called "fire therapy", which proponents claim can cure stress, indigestion, infertility and even cancer, has been used for hundreds of years and recently garnered a blaze of attention in Chinese media. There is no orthodox medical evidence that it is effective, a fact that matters little to one of China's most prominent fire therapists. "Fire therapy is the fourth revolution in human history... it surpasses both Chinese and Western medicine," said Zhang Fenghao, who trains students at a dingy apartment in Beijing and charges around 300 yuan ($48) per hour for treatment. He applied a herbal paste to a patient's back, covered it with a towel and poured on water and a 95% rubbing alcohol, adding proudly: "Using this method, patients can avoid operations." A patient undergoes 'fire therapy' at an apartment in Beijing. A therapist pours alcohol over a patient and sets him alight -- for some in China, playing with fire is a treatment for illness. (AFP photo) The man, Qi Lijun, lay on his front placidly as Zhang flicked a cigarette lighter, igniting a miniature inferno of orange and blue flames dancing above his spine. "It feels warm, not painful, just warm," said the 47-year-old, who recently suffered a brain haemorrhage that affected his memory and mobility. "I think it's effective." Many in China cannot afford expensive treatment for chronic ailments and state health insurance is limited, sparking demand for cheaper alternative therapies. Zhao Jing, 49, who suffers from chronic back pain, had at first been shocked by the idea of the treatment, but added: "After learning everything I don't have fears any more." The practice is based on Chinese folk beliefs that

health depends on maintaining a balance of "hot" and "cold" elements within the body. "We start a fire on top of the body, which gets rid of cold inside the body," said Zhang, who claims to have lit blazes on foreign diplomats and senior Chinese officials.

The treatment gained renewed public attention this month when photos of a man having fire applied to his crotch went viral on Chinese social media. "Sir, how well would you like your meat cooked?" joked one microblogger on China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo. A patient undergoes 'fire therapy' during a demonstration in Beijing. A therapist pours alcohol over a patient and sets him alight -- for some in China, playing with fire is a treatment for illness. (AFP photo) Burning question State media have sought to dampen down enthusiasm for fire therapy, running several reports on shady therapists, some without certification and employing only a bucket of water to prevent conflagrations. "There have been injuries, patients have been burned on their faces and bodies, because of a lack of standards," said Zhang. "I have taught tens of thousands of students, and we have never seen an accident." So far the practice has received little attention from medical journals, but the theory behind it bears some relation to the Chinese medicinal practice of "cupping", where a flame burns away the oxygen inside a receptacle to create pressure on parts of a patient's body. Several long-term studies of that supposed therapy have found little evidence of any effectiveness. Zhang has received some recognition from publications covering "traditional Chinese medicine", which is widely available in the country's hospitals. The industry is lucrative, producing goods worth 516 billion yuan ($84 billion) in 2012, according to official statistics. Looking out from behind his patient's burning back, Zhang recited a poem. "A fire dragon has come to earth/a mysterious therapy has its birth," he said, as flames jumped below his chin. "Medicine needs a revolution, fire therapy for the world is the solution." A patient undergoes 'fire therapy' during a demonstration in Beijing. A therapist pours alcohol over a patient and sets him alight -- for some in China, playing with fire is a treatment for illness. (AFP photo) ========================= Letter from Barzani to Sistani supposedly included proposal for 3-way Iraqi confederation. Not going to fly in Najaf! "landmark ruling" on KRG oil export just says Iraq supreme court doesn't know yet عاجل..بارزاني يبعث رسالة الى المرجع السيستاني حول سياسات المالكي وأسباب دعوته للاستقلال الأربعاء, 02 تموز/يوليو 2014 18:06 b_280_189_16777215_0___images_idoblog_upload_89_4_137722274_1.jpg [بغداد-أين] بعث رئيس اقليم كردستان مسعود بارزاني رسالة الى المرجع الديني آية الله العظمى السيد علي السيستاني تطرقت الى مستجدات الأوضاع في العراق. وقال عضو الحزب الديمقراطي الكردستاني مهدي حاجي لوكالة كل العراق [أين] اليوم الاربعاء ان "الرسالة تضمنت المخاطر المحدقة بالعراق وشعبه والذهاب الى نفق مظلم بسبب السياسات التي مارسها رئيس الوزارء نوري المالكي وعلى الرغم من انقضاء ثمان سنوات من حكمه دون ان يقدم أي خدمة بحسب اعتقاد البيت الكردي". وأضاف ان "هذه الصورة وضعها بارزاني في رسالته الى المرجع السيستاني حتى يكون على علم كامل والتعرف على رأينا من خلال هذه الرسالة بان العراق في وضع خطر بسبب عدم الالتزام بالدستور والتوافقات السياسية ماجعل البلاد في هذه الازمة". وأشار حاجي الى ان "رئيس الاقليم وضع أيضاً في رسالته المعالجة لهذه المشاكل العالقة حتى تكون المرجعية الدينية لها دور في هذا الاتجاه وتكون طرفا مهما في معالجة هذه المشاكل ودون ذلك ستكون هناك مخاطر اكثر". وتابع "اعتقد ان الرسالة في النهاية تقول حسب اعتقادي ان العراق في وضعه الحالي يجب ان تكون فيه ثلاث اقاليم او كونفدراليات سنية وشيعية وكردية وتكون هناك حكومة اتحادية تلتزم بالدستور وهذا ما نطالب به الان". يشار الى ان رسالة بارزاني تعد هي الثالثة بعد رسالة رئيس ائتلاف الوطنية اياد علاوي ورئيس ائتلاف متحدون اسامة النجيفي التي يتسلمها المرجع السيستاني بشأن ايقاف عملية التفرد بالسلطة وانهاء سياسة التهميش والاقصاء وتحقيق التوازن واختيار رئيس الوزراء المقبل وفق المصلحة العليا للبلاد.انتهى16.