Quote:The women dove repeatedly for two to 10 hours each day and spent an average of 56 percent of the time beneath the surface — more underwater time than many aquatic mammals, including beavers, polar bears and sea otters, the researchers say.

Chronicles of female divers in this part of Asia date back 3,000 years. Researchers have studied the divers in the lab, but the team wanted to monitor them in a real-life setting to put their abilities in context with other water-dwelling mammals. Studying the Haenyeo women’s physiological adaptations may shed light on how the ancestors of whales and other marine mammals successfully transitioned from a terrestrial to an aquatic environment, McKnight says.