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It’s not just genetics that influences whether your nose turns out short and wide or tall and narrow.
Whether your nose is long and narrow or short and wide, you may have your ancestors’ climate to thank.
New anthropological research finds that nose shape is formed through a process of natural selection responding to the temperature and humidity of the local environment.
For the study, published online last week in the journal PLOS Genetics, researchers from Ireland, Belgium and the U.S. used 3D facial imaging to collect nose measurements on nearly 500 participants of South Asian, East Asian, West African and Northern European descent.
The researchers analyzed specific measures including nose height, nostril width, distance between nostrils, protrusion and total surface area of the nose and nostrils. Then, they compared these measurements with local temperatures and humidity in various geographical regions. The findings revealed that nostril width was strongly linked with climate. Wider nostrils were found in more hot and humid areas, and narrower noses were more common in cold and dry areas.
This makes sense, considering that one...