The Turkana people, an ethnic group in Kenya, have evolved genetic adaptations to help their bodies conserve water in extreme desert heat, a new study suggests.
Turkana women commonly walk 3 to 6 miles (5 to 10 kilometers) each day while balancing buckets of water on their heads in extreme heat. That means they usually go long periods without drinking water. They also live on a protein-heavy but relatively low-calorie diet of meat, milk and animal blood. Still, their bodies manage to tolerate this intense physical activity in the heat of the desert.
