New study reveals life at the top in Tibet
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PEOPLE likely moved to the Tibetan highlands 3,600 years ago, in an indication of when humans first settled at high altitudes, researchers said this week.
People were able to settle as high as 3,400 meters on the Tibetan plateau — known as “the roof of the world” — by growing altitude-resistant crops and raising livestock, according to a study published on Thursday in the United States-based journal Science.
They survived on wheat and barley imported from the so-called “Fertile Crescent” in the Middle East and on transplants from China such as broomcorn and foxtail millet, said the researchers from China, Britain and the US.
The scientists analyzed animal teeth, bones and plant deposits for the study.
“Survival at these altitudes must have led to some very challenging conditions,” said lead researcher Martin Jones from the Department of Archeology at Britain’s Cambridge University.
“This poses further, interesting questions for researchers about the adaptation of humans, livestock and crops to life at such dizzying heights,” he said.
Sporadic human presence was detected on the plateau as early as 20,000 years ago, while semi-permanent settlers arrived 5,200 years ago. Early humans likely first traveled to the plateau to hunt animals, but the discovery of altitude-resistant crops allowed them to stay.
The study examined the remains of pigs, sheep and cattle, as well as plants at 53 sites across 800 miles of the northern Tibetan Plateau.
Until now, researchers knew little about settlement patterns at high altitudes because of a lack of archeological data.
Jones said he hopes the findings will prompt more research into people’s genetic resistance to altitude sickness, the ethnic make-up of humans at high elevations, and plant behavior.
The study could also have an impact on food security, as most produce today is grown in the lowlands.
“The more we learn about the rich ecology of past and present societies, and the wider range of crops they raised in challenging environments, the more options we will have for thinking through food security issues in the future,” he said.
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