An international team of scientists has uncovered how the Turkana people of northern Kenya have genetically adapted to survive one of the harshest environments on earth.
The findings, published Thursday in Science, reveal that thousands of years of natural selection shaped unique physiological traits that enable the community to withstand searing heat, water scarcity, and limited vegetation.
The research was carried out under the Turkana Health and Genomics Project (THGP), a collaboration involving the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), the Turkana Basin Institute (TBI), Vanderbilt University, and the University of California, Berkeley.
Co-PI and Kenya Medical Research Institute’s Deputy Director, Centre for Community Driven Research Sospeter Njeru said it combines genomics, anthropology, and biology while working closely with local communities.
“Working with the Turkana has been transformative for this study. Their insights into their environment, lifestyle, and health have been essential to connecting our genetic findings to real-world biology and survival strategies,” Njeru said.
Researchers sequenced 367 whole genomes and examined over 7 million genetic variants.
They discovered several regions of the genome under strong natural selection. One gene, STC1, stood out.
STC1 is expressed in the kidneys and plays a dual role vital to desert living. It helps conserve water during dehydration and processes purine-rich foods like meat and blood, which are staples of the Turkana diet.
“Our partnership with the Turkana community highlights the critical importance of preserving and learning from traditional knowledge systems that have enabled human survival in extreme environments for millennia,” Principal Investigator, University of California, Berkeley Julien Ayroles said.
The adaptations appear to have emerged about 5,000 years ago, when northern Africa grew drier.
Scientists believe that as the region’s climate shifted, genetic variants that supported survival under arid conditions were favoured.
“This research demonstrates how our ancestors adapted to dramatic climate shifts through genetic evolution,” County Executive for Health and Sanitation, Turkana County Epem Esekon said.
Acting Director General at KEMRI Elijah Songok said as more Turkana migrate to urban areas, the traits that once protected them may increase risks of chronic illnesses such as hypertension, kidney disease, and diabetes.
“With more people shifting from rural to urban lifestyles, we are also seeing a change in disease patterns. This study helps explain how evolutionary mismatch can contribute to today’s health challenges,” he said.
Co-PI Amanda Lea from Vanderbilt University, noted that the study highlights how working with transitioning populations can lead to new models for understanding how present-day environments interact with past adaptations to potentially impact modern day disease risk.
Experts say the Turkana experience is not just about survival but also a lesson for the future.
“Worldwide, indigenous communities like the Turkana, and other people in Northern Kenya are essential partners in advancing our knowledge of human resilience,” director of the Turkana Basin Institute at Stony Brook University Dino J. Martins said.
“Their deep connection with the landscapes and ecology of the region, and adaptation to one of the earth’s hottest and most arid environments over time, provides lessons for how climate and environmental changes continue to shape human biology and health.”
