Climate Shaped the Human Nose, Researchers Say (theguardian.com) 57
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Guardian: Human noses have been shaped by climate, according to research probing variation in the human snout. Researchers say their findings back up the theory that wider nostrils developed in populations living in warm, humid conditions, while populations living in high latitudes, such as northern Europe, developed narrower nostrils as an adaptation to the chilly, dry conditions. Writing in the journal Plos Genetics, researchers from the U.S., Ireland and Belgium describe how they began to unpick variations in nose shape by using 3D facial imaging to take a host of measurements from 476 volunteers of south Asian, east Asian, west African and northern European ancestry. The results revealed that only two out of seven nose-related traits were found to differ more between the populations than would be expected from the impact of random, chance changes in genetic makeup over time. The authors say that suggests variations in those traits have been influenced by natural selection. With further analysis, based on data from participants of west African and European ancestry, confirming that nose shape is highly heritable, the team looked to see if there was a link between nose shape and climate. The results showed that nostril width is linked to temperature and absolute humidity, with participants whose ancestors lived in warm-humid climates on average having wider nostrils than those whose ancestors lived in cool-dry climates. That, says Arslan Zaidi, co-author of the study from Pennsylvania State University, could be because narrower nasal passages help to increase the moisture content of air and warm it -- a bonus for those in higher latitudes.
You know what they say: (Score:1)
You can pick your friends, you can pick your nose, but you can't unpick variations in nose shape by using 3D facial imaging to take a host of measurements from 476 volunteers of south Asian, east Asian, west African and northern European ancestry.
Re: (Score:2)
As the theme tune to a popular kids' program went: If you can pick it, lick it, roll it and flick it you're a record breaker!
Re: Evolution (Score:1)
A wide nose allows more oxygen into the lungs, which is why black people are fast. The slow ones got et. Conversely, a narrow nose streamlines the body for swimming, which is why Belgium wins most swimming competitions.
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Only interesting to Belgian researches. (Score:2)
You got to wonder what the motive for the U.S. and U.K researchers were, considering both countries have collectively cut off their nose to spite their face. ;)
Re: (Score:1)
No, not bad. Mouthbreathing is TREMENDOUS. The best, the fantastic deal. Those who say it's bad are crooked LIARS. Sad!
If it's good enough for the president, it's good enough for you!
This is my passion! (Score:2)
We should devote more of our Student's tuition and my tax money to subsidize studies about stuff I don't give a shit about. Hawk nose, no-nose, skinny nose, broad nose...they all smell the same from my altitude.
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It might have started ... (Score:2)
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"If we don't tax everything, restrict energy usage and return to the 1700s..."
Return to the 1700s? Those people are almost as suspicious of the Enlightenment as they are of nuclear energy and GMOs. Gotta return to the Stone Age and reclaim our Neandertal heritage.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
When I get a flu, almost always it's my right nostril that gets clogged. Left nostril rarely clogs. What could be the cause? I tend to sleep on my right side.
Oh well, I can live with that. As long as my nose doesn't start whistling.
I had what seems the same condition, also associated with chronic sinusitis due to resulting reduced ventilation of nose and sinuses. Most likely you have a deviated septum and/or an enlarged turbinate (nasal concha) on the clogged side.
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The enlarged turbinate usually goes hand in hand with the deviated septum because the turbinate tends to grow into the room provided by the deviation, resulting in poor air pas
Now the big question is: (Score:2)
Climate shaped by human nose (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
No sh*t. (Score:2, Funny)
As far as evolutionary theory goes, this is about as "Captain Obvious" you can get, imho.
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As far as evolutionary theory goes, this is about as "Captain Obvious" you can get, imho.
True, but only the headline here, the research is interesting in that they tested many difference in noses, and isolate only two traits related to climate and proved the rest random.
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IQ has a similar relationship to climate...but we cannot talk about that now can we.
*sigh* (Score:2)
As the old saying goes "everyone knows that and scientifically measured and quantified are not the same thing".
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The problem is that while their are in fact some substantial differences between the average X of different breed of humans, the variation within each breed are almost always considerably larger, making any sort of generality is utterly irrelevant on an individual basis.
Also, I question the veracity of your data. For example, as I recall it's only one specific sub-population of Jews that shows such a dramatic advantage in intelligence (though I think it was only about 6 points), and also much higher rates
Not buying it (Score:5, Interesting)
Having spent several months on the polar plateau, I say it's humbug. There's not enough room in the nose to warm up air appreciably, and the extra surface area exposed to cold air is more likely to expose it to frostbite (and chunks falling off) than do anything useful. What good will that air-warmer do once it has fallen off?
Also, how could any study of the suitability of nose type to climate fail to include at least one polar people, such as the Inuit, Sami, or Chukchi?
So it's evolution's fault? (Score:2)
Like they say, you can pick your friends, but you can't pick your nose.
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If you didn't have a nose, how would you smell? (Score:2)
Terrible!
South America (Score:2)
This is not PC (Score:2)
Big nose... (Score:2)
Is that why Bill Cosby, others, and I have huge noses? :P
Climate change (Score:2)
I guess this means all our noses are about to change shape.