The researchers worked with the Haenyeo: women who have spent their whole lives diving in the waters off Jeju Island, 50 miles south of mainland South Korea. They free-dive up to 60 feet below the ...

A new analysis of a group of all-women extreme divers off the coast of Korea has uncovered genetic differences that could help them survive the intense physiological stresses of free-diving—and could ...

The term "Haenyeo," or "sea women," refers to women who use free-diving techniques to retrieve shell fish from the sea floor. CREDIT: Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images. Get the Popular Science daily ...

These genes may be linked to the women's abilities to withstand frigid water and lower their blood pressure while diving, the scientists wrote in a study published Friday (May 2) in the journal ...