Ethnic Tibetan took less than 3,000 years to adapt to high altitude , study says . Professor : Adaptation is fastest genetic change ever observed in humans . ( CNN ) -- Study compares genomes of ethnic Tibetan and Han Chinese . Evolution allows Tibetans to thrive in high - altitude areas , researchers say .
Ethnic Tibetan took less than 3,000 years to adapt to high altitude , study says . Professor : Adaptation is fastest genetic change ever observed in humans . Study compares genomes of ethnic Tibetan and Han Chinese . Evolution allows Tibetans to thrive in high - altitude areas , researchers say .