According to a new study by Pennsylvania State University, the shape of human nose is at least partly shaped by the long-term local climate. Scientists have found that people living in warm and humid climate usually have a wide and flat nose, while people living in cold and dry climate generally have a thin and tall nose. With the help of 3D facial imaging technology, researchers analyzed the nose size and shape of hundreds of people in East Asia, South Asia, Northern Europe and West Africa, including nostril width, distance between nostrils, nose height and bridge length.
As early as the19th century, Arthur Thomson, a British anatomist and anthropologist, pointed out that long and thin noses are often in cold and dry areas, while short and wide noses are often in warm and humid areas. This law is now called Thomson's nose law. The results of this study may also have medical significance, especially as the number of people traveling around the world increases. For people with narrow noses, if they go to a hot and humid environment, these people may increase the risk of breathing problems.
According to the research in the Public Library of Science Genetics, researchers found that people in different parts of the world have significant differences in nostril width, and climate plays a vital role in shaping the shape of our noses. Arslan Zaidi, the author of the study, said: "Genetic drift may be the best explanation for the differences in nose shapes around the world. Genetic drift is an evolutionary mechanism, in which the frequency of some genes randomly "drifts" up or down, resulting in differences between groups that are not often mixed. But for the evolution of some human characteristics, it is likely that another mechanism-natural selection has also played a role. " In other words, the evolution of human appearance characteristics depends not only on the random drift of genes, but also on the external environment. For example, human skin color, scientists believe that the difference of human skin color is the result of natural selection, and gradually evolved into different skin colors in order to adjust the influence of ultraviolet rays on the human body.
The researchers explained that one function of the nose is to regulate the inhaled air, so that the air becomes warmer and wetter before entering the lungs, helping us to prevent infection. Generally speaking, people whose parents and ancestors came from warm and humid climate often have wide nostrils; People from dry and cold climates usually have narrow nostrils. The researchers also found that this correlation is particularly prominent in northern Europe. The evolutionary history of the nose is very complicated, and other factors may also play a role, such as the preference for the size of the nose.
These findings are very interesting, but at the same time, they will also have medical significance. Especially with more and more travelers all over the world. For people with narrow noses, if they go to a hot and humid environment, these people may increase the risk of breathing problems. These studies are very important because they are related to our health, especially now that the earth has become a "global village", it is easier for us to move to a new environment to live. (New technology discovers Constantine/Wen)