Dr. Melissa Ilardo

And so we compared them to a nearby population living in a very similar environment, but with a history of farming.

And so we compared them to a nearby population living in a very similar environment, but with a history of farming. So these are people who live right next to the ocean, but aren't really interacting with it. So, you know, Bajo children are in the water from the moment they're born almost. And then children in this other village didn't know how to swim.

And so we compared them to a nearby population living in a very similar environment, but with a history of farming. So these are people who live right next to the ocean, but aren't really interacting with it. So, you know, Bajo children are in the water from the moment they're born almost. And then children in this other village didn't know how to swim.

So these are people who live right next to the ocean, but aren't really interacting with it.

So, you know, Bajo children are in the water from the moment they're born almost.

And then children in this other village didn't know how to swim.

And so we found that compared to that village, the Bajo had significantly larger spleens. So their spleens were about 50% larger on average. And this was true for divers and non-divers. So that showed us that it was very likely to be something genetic rather than the fact that your diving increases the size of your spleen.

And so we found that compared to that village, the Bajo had significantly larger spleens. So their spleens were about 50% larger on average. And this was true for divers and non-divers. So that showed us that it was very likely to be something genetic rather than the fact that your diving increases the size of your spleen.

And so we found that compared to that village, the Bajo had significantly larger spleens. So their spleens were about 50% larger on average. And this was true for divers and non-divers. So that showed us that it was very likely to be something genetic rather than the fact that your diving increases the size of your spleen.

And so we found that compared to that village, the Bajo had significantly larger spleens.

So their spleens were about 50% larger on average.

And this was true for divers and non-divers.

So that showed us that it was very likely to be something genetic rather than the fact that your diving increases the size of your spleen.

This is a question that I think is still open because in both of the populations where I've measured this, divers and non-divers have the same size spleen. However... Other people have shown that, you know, when you train, if you train people, if you recruit people to a study and train them in breath hold diving, their spleens increase in size.

This is a question that I think is still open because in both of the populations where I've measured this, divers and non-divers have the same size spleen.

This is a question that I think is still open because in both of the populations where I've measured this, divers and non-divers have the same size spleen. However... Other people have shown that, you know, when you train, if you train people, if you recruit people to a study and train them in breath hold diving, their spleens increase in size.

This is a question that I think is still open because in both of the populations where I've measured this, divers and non-divers have the same size spleen. However... Other people have shown that, you know, when you train, if you train people, if you recruit people to a study and train them in breath hold diving, their spleens increase in size.

However...

Other people have shown that, you know, when you train, if you train people, if you recruit people to a study and train them in breath hold diving, their spleens increase in size.

So I don't know if it's just that the populations that I've worked with have some kind of genetic factors that override that change. But yeah, open question, I would say.