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ByMalcolmRitter The Associated Press NEW YORK Tibetansliving on the "roof of the world" can thank an extinct hu- man relative for providing a gene that helps them adapt to the high altitude, a study suggests. Past research has con- cluded that a particular gene helps people live in the thin air of the Tibetan plateau. Now scientists report that the Tibetan version of that gene is found in DNA from Denisovans, a poorly under- stood human relative more closely related to Neander- thals than modern people. Denisovans are known only from fossils in a Sibe- rian cave that are dated to at least about 50,000 years ago. Some of their DNA has also been found in other modern populations, indi- cating they interbred with ancient members of today's human race long ago. But the version of the high-altitude gene shared by Denisovans and Tibet- ans is found in virtually no other population today, re- searchers report in an arti- cle released Wednesday by the journal Nature. That suggests that Den- isovans or close relatives of theirs introduced the gene variant into the modern human species, but that it remained rare until some people started moving into the Tibetan plateau, said study main author Rasmus Nielsen of the University of California, Berkeley. At that point, it conferred a survival advantage and so spread through the Ti- betan population, he said in an email. It's not clear whether the Denisovans were also adapted to high altitudes, he said. The results show that as early members of to- day's human species ex- panded outside of Africa and encountered new en- vironments, they could call on their genetic legacies from other species, he said. That's easier than waiting for a helpful genetic muta- tion to arise, he said. The Tibetan plateau rises above 13,000 feet (4,000 meters) in elevation. The genetic variant helps sur- vival there by affecting the amount of oxygen the blood can carry when a person is in thin air. Apart from Ti- betans, it is found very rarely in Han Chinese and also exists in Mongolians and Sherpas, who are also related to Tibetans and may have picked it up relatively recently, Nielsen said. The researchers found no trace of it outside East Asia. Todd Disotell, an anthro- pology professor at New York University who didn't participate in the study, called the new work "one of the coolest scientific results I have seen in a while.... This is a slam-dunk case." David Reich, an expert on ancient DNA at Harvard Medical School, called the paper "important and ex- citing" in showing the gene came from an ancient hu- man relative. But he said that relative could have been Neanderthals, who are also known to have contrib- uted DNA to modern peo- ple. Nielsen said the Tibetan gene variant doesn't match any known Neanderthal DNA, but Reich said maybe scientists just haven't yet found DNA from a Nean- derthal who carried it. SCIENCE Gene aids with altitude THEASSOCIATEDPRESS Chinese Tibetan ethnic herdsmen try to catch a yak for sale in Dengsheng of Aba, China's southwest Sichuan province. Tibetans can thank an extinct human relative for providing a gene that helps them adapt to the high altitude, according to a study released Wednesday. MAHMOUD ILLEAN — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS A Palestinian uses a sling shot during clashes with Israeli border police in Jerusalem. The suspected abduction of an Arab teen followed by the discovery of a body in Jerusalem on Wednesday ignited clashes between Israeli police and stone-throwing Palestinians, who saw it as a revenge attack for the killing of three Israeli teens in the West Bank. By Josef Federman The Associated Press JERUSALEM The Palestin- ians accused Israeli extrem- ists of abducting and killing an Arab teenager and burn- ing his body Wednesday, sparking hours of clashes in east Jerusalem and draw- ing charges that the youth was murdered to avenge the killings of three kidnapped Israeli teens. Seeking to calm the ex- plosive situation, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged a swift inquiry into the "reprehen- sible murder" and called on people to respect the rule of law. Palestinian Presi- dent Mahmoud Abbas said it was clear extremist Jew- ish settlers were responsi- ble and called on Israel to bring the killers to justice. "The settlers have killed and burned a little boy. They are well known," Ab- bas said, accusing Israel of tolerating settler violence toward Palestinians. "I de- mand that the Israeli gov- ernment hold the killers ac- countable." The death added to the already heightened ten- sions caused by the killings of the three Israeli teenag- ers, whose bodies were dis- covered Monday just over two weeks after they dis- appeared in the West Bank. Israel accused Hamas, the Islamic militant group that controls Gaza, of be- ing behind the abductions, which led to the largest ground operation in the West Bank in nearly a de- cade, with Israel arresting hundreds of Hamas oper- atives as part of a broad manhunt. The discovery of the bod- ies led to a national out- pouring of grief, with tens of thousands of people at- tending a funeral Tuesday in which the teens were laid to rest side-by-side. As the burial took place, hundreds of young, right-wing Israe- lis marched through down- town Jerusalem screaming for revenge. Hours later, relatives of Mohammed Abu Kh- deir said the 17-year-old was forced into a car in a neighborhood of east Jeru- salem that quickly sped off. A burned body believed to be his was found shortly af- terward in a Jerusalem for- est, though police said late Wednesday they were still awaiting forensics tests to make a positive identifica- tion. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said authorities were looking at "a number of different directions" in the killing, including na- tionalistic or criminal mo- tives. "We are waiting for the final results of the au- topsy," he said. Palestinians say extremists ki ll ed t ee n in r et al ia ti on ISRAEL By Sinan Salaheddin The Associated Press BAGHDAD An extremist group's declaration of an Islamic state in territory it has seized in Iraq and Syria poses a threat to the entire region, Iraq's prime minister warned Wednes- day, saying that "no one in Iraq or any neighboring country will be safe from these plans." The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant announced this week that it has uni- laterally established a ca- liphate in the areas under its control. It declared the group's leader, Abu Bakr al- Baghdadi, the head of its new self-styled state gov- erned by Shariah law and demanded that all Muslims pledge allegiance to him. In his weekly address, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said the militant group's announcement "is a message to all the states in the region that you are inside the red circle now." With the support of other Sunni militants, the ex- tremist group has overrun huge swaths of northern and western Iraq in recent weeks, including the coun- try'ssecond-largestcity,Mo- sul. The blitz across Iraq appears to have crested, at least for now, as it reaches Shiite-majorityareas,where resistance is tougher, and as it seeks to consolidate its control of the territory al- ready in hand. In what appeared to be a bid to peel away some of the extremist group's allies among Iraq's Sunni tribes, al-Maliki offered an amnesty "for all tribes and people who got in- volved in any act against the state." "They should return to their senses. We are not excluding anybody, even those who committed mis- deeds, apart from those who killed or shed blood," he said. "I welcome them to return and stand with the other tribes that have taken up arms." Al-Maliki offered a sim- ilar amnesty after mili- tants seized two cities in central Iraq early this year, but few if any Sunnis took up his offer. With its recent gains, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant now con- trols a swath of land that stretches from northern Syria to the outskirts of Baghdad in central Iraq. That has sent tremors across the region, partic- ularly in the capitals of Iraq's neighbors — Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Iran. The United States, which withdrew the last of its troops from Iraq in 2011, is also keeping close tabs on events. President Barack Obama has been hesitant to send much military aid to Iraq for fear of dragging the U.S. into another years-long Mideast war. The White House has ruled out send- ing in combat troops, but this week sent more sol- diers to Baghdad to help bolster the U.S. Embassy. All told, officials say, there are about 750 U.S. troops in Iraq — about half of which are advising Iraqi counter- terrorism forces. U.S. manned and un- manned aircraft are also flying dozens of reconnais- sance missions a day over Iraq to gather intelligence. The Sunni insurgent's offensive is fueled, at least in part, by the Sunni mi- nority's long list of griev- ances with al-Maliki and his Shiite-led government. Iraq's new parliament met for the first time on Tuesday since April elec- tions amid hopes for the swift formation of a new government. Those hopes quickly faded after the leg- islature deadlocked less than two hours into the meeting when Sunnis and Kurds walked out. IRAQ Al -M al ik i: I sl am ic state would be a th re at t o reg io n The Associated Press KABUL, AFGHANISTAN A Taliban suicide bomber at- tacked an Afghan air force bus in Kabul Wednesday, killing at least eight mili- tary personnel, officials said, as the militants step up their campaign of violence aimed atunderminingtheWestern- backed government. The bombing came as the country struggles through its first democratic tran- sition of power, with elec- toral officials announcing Wednesday that the release of initial election results has been postponed until next week due to allegations of fraud. Army Gen. Kadamshah Shahim said the bomber was stopped before he could en- terthebus,likelylimitingthe number of casualties. The Defense Ministry gave the death toll and said 13 others were wounded. The Taliban claimedresponsibilityforthe attack via spokesman Zabi- hullah Mujahid. Preliminary results from a June 14 runoff vote be- tween Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai had been due Wednesday. But the Independent Elec- tion Commission said they were being postponed so ballots from 1,930 polling stations in 30 provinces could be audited. AFGHANISTAN Taliban suicide bomber kills 8 in capital N EWS D AILY REDBLUFF TEHAMACOUNTY T H E V O I C E O F T E H A M A C O U NTY S I N C E 1 8 8 5 PHONE: (530)527-2151 FAX: (530) 527-5774 545 Diamond Avenue • P.O. Box 220 • Red Bluff, CA 96080 Support our classrooms, keep kids reading. DONATE YOUR VACATION newspaper dollars to the Newspaper In Education Program HELP OUR CHILDREN For more details call Circulation Department (530) 527-2151 THURSDAY, JULY 3, 2014 REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM | NEWS | 5 B