Abstract: A long-standing goal within the field of evolutionary genomics has been to understand how genomic and phenotypic differences between human populations arise. High-altitude environments offer a natural experiment to study this question, as these environments impose a number of selective pressures, the most severe of which is high-altitude hypoxia. Human populations residing across the Andean Altiplano, Tibetan Plateau, and Ethiopian Highlands represent three separate replications of this natural experiment, each displaying a unique suite of high-altitude adaptive phenotypes. This talk explores how multi-omic methods can be leveraged to uncover signatures of natural selection and developmental adaptation that have shaped the adaptive phenotypes displayed among high-altitude residing Andean and Himalayan populations. Ultimately, this work highlights how adaptive processes can act across evolutionary and developmental timescales to shape the shared and distinguishing features observed between human populations.

Zoom link:

https://ucla.zoom.us/j/94308730584?pwd=0YGsaJFEdLd5cMsOhTh465nwJubz9o.1
Meeting ID: 943 0873 0584
Passcode: 308291