气候在人类鼻子演变中发挥重要作用

If you are not satisfied with the shape of your nose, blame it on climate, not your parents or grandparents.

对自己的鼻子形状不满意？不要怪父母或祖父母，怪气候吧。

In a study published this week in the journal PLOS Genetics, researchers from the Pennsylvania State University found that human noses may have been shaped, at least in part, by a long process of adaptation to local climate conditions.

Generally, wider noses are more common in warm and humid climates, while narrower noses are more common in cold and dry climates, it said.

The findings were based on an examination of the size and shape of noses on people with West African, South Asian, East Asian, or Northern European ancestry.

The researchers looked at the width of the nostrils, the distance between nostrils, the height of the nose, nose ridge length, nose protrusion, external area of the nose and the area of the nostrils by using 3D facial imaging.

It showed that the width of the nostrils is strongly correlated with temperature and absolute humidity, but not the result of a random process called genetic drift.

The nose has had a complex evolutionary history, however, and researchers suspected that additional factors, such as cultural preferences when picking a mate, have also played a role in shaping the nose.

Investigations into nose shape evolution and climate adaptation may have medical as well as anthropological implications.