A group of women around 70 years old laugh and sing on a beach in Jeju, an island off South Korea, preparing to spend the day diving for shellfish. Moments later, they’ll plunge into frigid waters as ...

A tradition of female diving on a South Korean island might have shaped the genomes of the island’s population, as well as the physiology of the divers 1. The Haenyeo — which means ‘women of the sea’ ...

The Haenyeo, a group of all-female divers from the Korean island of Jeju, are renowned for their ability to dive in frigid waters without the aid of breathing equipment -- even while pregnant. A study ...

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 ...

Sue Kim’s documentary provides a lively look at an aging-out — yet active — community of traditional female marine-life harvesters on Jeju Island. Considering themselves “guardians of the sea,” ...

The Haenyeo women who dive deep into the East China Sea to harvest sea urchins and shellfish spend the most time underwater of any humans ever studied — one to five hours a day, researchers report ...

An island 50 miles (80 kilometers) off the southern tip of the Korean Peninsula is home to a unique and celebrated community of women: the Haenyeo. These women dive year-round off Jeju Island, ...

For nearly four centuries, groups of women on South Korea’s Jeju Island have made a living by harvesting seafood from the ocean. Known as Haenyeo, meaning “women of the sea” in Korean, these women ...

From high-altitude climbers to divers who can fish without scuba gear, scientists are finding new ways that human bodies may be genetically adapting to environmental extremes. Many women who grow up ...