Tall Story: Why Northern Europeans Tower Over Their Southern Counterparts

[Grab the Gauge]

http://www.scmp.com/news/world/artic...n-counterparts

Genetic differences, painstakingly crafted by thousands of years of natural selection, explain why Europeans from the north tower over their southern cousins, researchers said.

In a study that touched on the age-old “nature vs nurture” debate, an international team of scientists set out to determine once and for all why, for example, the average Dutchman’s frame differs so much from that of, say, a Portuguese person.

“We found that genetic differences between countries provides an explanation for national differences in height,” lead author Matthew Robinson, from the University of Queensland in Australia, said Monday.

Many physical traits, including height and body mass index (BMI: a ratio of height to weight), vary between people from different regions of the world, even different parts of the same continent.


Genetic differences, painstakingly crafted by thousands of years of natural selection, explain why Europeans from the north tower over their southern cousins, researchers said.
In a study that touched on the age-old “nature vs nurture” debate, an international team of scientists set out to determine once and for all why, for example, the average Dutchman’s frame differs so much from that of, say, a Portuguese person.


“We found that genetic differences between countries provides an explanation for national differences in height,” lead author Matthew Robinson, from the University of Queensland in Australia, said Monday.

Many physical traits, including height and body mass index (BMI: a ratio of height to weight), vary between people from different regions of the world, even different parts of the same continent.

In Europe, for example, the Dutch are seven centimetres taller on average than Italians, and rise eight centimetres above Spaniards.

But the relative contribution of genes and environmental factors has never been clear.
“We were interested in working out whether there were genetic differences,” said Robinson.

The team used genetic data from 9,416 Europeans from 14 countries to predict their height and BMI.

They then checked the predictions for national differences, which would indicate that the genes influencing height and BMI were more or less prevalent in people from different countries.

“They found that historic natural selection on both height and BMI has created genetic differences among different countries,” said a Nature press summary.

The association was stronger for height than for mass - about a quarter of the variation in height and eight percent of the variation in BMI could be explained by regional genetic characteristics, the team found.

The cause was likely “historic natural selection” - the Darwinian process whereby humans or animals best suited to their environment survive and transmit their genetic traits to succeeding generations, whereas inferior traits disappear over time.

“Many thousands of years ago when Europe was being settled, it is likely that the characteristics that were best to survive differed in the Mediterranean as compared to northern Europe,” Robinson theorised

The team also found that tall nations such as the Netherlands and Sweden were genetically more likely to be slim, though BMI was more strongly influenced by environmental factors than height.

[Cristiano viejo]

Stille Southerners destroy Nordicks in basketball year after year

[zhaoyun]

People in colder climates are usually taller relative to their southern counterparts. It's also why Northern Chinese tower over Southern Chinese.

[Mingle]

But Balkanites are Southern Europeans (i.e. from the southern half of Europe) and they rival Northern Europeans in height or even surpass them even in many cases (British Islanders are relatively short for example). And that's despite the fact that the Balkans is a second world region. If Balkan countries reached first world standards of living, then they'd probably surpass almost all northerners. But yeah, Southwest Europeans (Italians, Iberians) tend to be pretty short by European standards.

[Mingle]

People in colder climates are usually taller relative to their southern counterparts. It's also why Northern Chinese tower over Southern Chinese.

Balkanites tower over British Islanders and Frenchies though.

[zhaoyun]

Balkanites tower over British Islanders and Frenchies though.

Good point. Balkanites are tall as fuck.

[Dick]

Good point. Balkanites are tall as fuck.

Yes we are.

[Cristiano viejo]

But Balkanites are Southern Europeans (i.e. from the southern half of Europe) and they rival Northern Europeans in height or even surpass them even in many cases (British Islanders are relatively short for example). And that's despite the fact that the Balkans is a second world region. If Balkan countries reached first world standards of living, then they're probably surpass almost all northerners. But yeah, Southwest Europeans (Italians, Iberians) tend to be pretty short by European standards.

When I was in Romania I did not notice Romanians were taller than me (in fact it was the opposite) and I am only 1 80.

Also these "shortfor Euro standard" Spaniards are ruling the basketball the last decade in Europe, that is funny

[zhaoyun]

Yes we are.

I remember I talked with this GI before, and he said that Macedonia was the one country where you could tell who the locals were because they towered over the Americans, which is rare.

[Kouros]

Good point. Balkanites are tall as fuck.

Bosnians, Serbs, and Montenegrins are actually the tallest people in Europe (measured), taller even than the Dutch.