Overview: This news brief from October 2010 examines new research that makes it clear that Tibetan highlanders have not just acclimated to their mountain home; evolutionary adaptations have equipped them with unique physiological mechanisms for dealing with low oxygen levels. Author/Source: UC Museum of Paleontology Grade level: 9-12 Time: 10 minutes Concepts: There is a fit between organisms and their environments, though not always a perfect fit. Evolution results from selection acting upon genetic variation within a population. Traits that confer an advantage may persist in the population and are called adaptations. Natural selection acts on the variation that exists in a population. Populations, not individuals, evolve. Over time, the proportion of individuals with advantageous characteristics may increase (and the proportion with disadvantageous characteristics may decrease) due to their likelihood of surviving and reproducing. Scientists test their ideas using multiple lines of evidence. Natural selection is dependent on environmental conditions. Evolutionary change can sometimes happen rapidly. Teacher background: Genetic Variation Natural Selection

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