The Bajau people of Southeast Asia are known for their amazing diving abilities and many can hold their breath for minutes at a time, diving deep under the ocean’s surface wearing nothing more than goggles and weight belts. They may spend 60 percent of their workdays underwater hunting for fish and sea cucumbers. A new study shows that their preternatural diving skills might have a genetic basis, reports CNN. The amount of time the Bajau spend underwater does not compare to any other animals, said evolutionary geneticist Melissa Ilardo, whose latest research focuses on a Bajau community in Sulawesi, Indonesia. “The closest thing to that is sea otters.”
Ilardo’s new study may have uncovered genetic adaptations that allow the Bajau to stay underwater longer without oxygen. They might also have unusually large spleens, writes CNN. On Thursday, Ilardo and her colleagues published the findings in the journal Cell. Ilardo found that the Bajau had spleens that were roughly 50% larger than those of their land-dwelling neighbors on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi.When a human dives into the water, the heart slows, which lowers the amount of oxygen consumed. Blood vessels in the extremities constrict and channel oxygen-rich blood to vital organs, and the spleen contracts. Your spleen filters out old cells and supports the immune system. When it contacts, it gives the body an oxygen boost, CNN explains, and allows you to hold your breath for longer.
Research shows links between larger spleens and longer dive times. Ilardo found that the Bajau had spleens that were roughly 50 percent larger than those of their land-dwelling neighbors on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi.
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