Die Turkana-Leute konsumieren eine tierische Ernährung an einem der heißesten und trockensten Orte der Erde. Wissenschaftler entdeckten die genetische Variation hinter dieser Wüstenanpassung. Eine spezifische genetische Variation hat es ihren Nieren ermöglicht, Urin zu konzentrieren, so dass sie weniger Wasser beseitigen.

I’ve linked to the press release in the post above. In this comment, for those interested, here’s the link to the peer reviewed journal article:

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adv2467

From the linked article:

Genetic study of nomadic herders in Kenya shows what it takes to adapt to desert living

**The Turkana people consume an animal-based diet in one of the hottest, driest places on Earth. Scientists uncovered the genetic variation behind this desert adaptation**, and how it leads to problems as the Turkana transition to city life.

The nomadic Turkana people of Northwest Kenya are superbly adapted to living in one of the hottest and driest places on Earth, with so little greenery that they base their diet on animal products, primarily milk, meat and blood from herds of goats and camels.

A new analysis of Turkana genomes led by UC Berkeley and Vanderbilt University, conducted in collaboration with Kenyan researchers and the Turkana community, shows how the activity of key genes has changed over millennia to allow them to thrive in extreme desert conditions. On the flip side, that exquisite adaptation to a nomadic, pastoral lifestyle sets them up for chronic health problems when, as increasingly happens, they move to cities in search of wage-paying jobs and adopt an urbanized, sedentary lifestyle.

**One specific genetic variation has allowed their kidneys to concentrate urine so that they eliminate less water**. That gene may also play a role in protecting the kidneys from the waste generated by purine-rich foods such as red meat.