XPost: misc.news.internet.discuss   
   From: rsw@therandymon.com   
      
   On 2020-05-19, JAB  wrote:   
   > People Living At High Elevations May Be Less Susceptible To   
   > Coronavirus   
      
   > COVID-19 causes hypoxia --- a deficiency of oxygen in the body. People   
   > who live at high altitude become acclimated to hypoxia --- their   
   > bodies make changes to adapt to it --- and that might help fight off   
   > the severe effects. One of those changes involves a protein located in   
   > the cells of the respiratory tract (and other tissue.) The pathogen   
   > infects its host cells by binding with that protein --- and people who   
   > live at high altitude develop reduced levels of it.   
      
   There's also different DNA in the arctic and Tibet, remnants of   
   Denisovans [sp] about whom we know almost nothing. One theory is that   
   the long-lost ancestors imparted a genetic ability to function at high   
   altitude/high latitudes.  Maybe some link to resistance to hypoxia?   
      
   Interesting question for science, anyway.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)