Tuesday, May 9, 2023

Why do some of us have noses like that?

If you have a "snozz" - a tall, thin nose, then it's not just an adaptation to cooler climates.

You can thank your...

...Neanderthal ancestors. It turns out that the gene, ATF3, that significantly contributes to increased nasal height (compare the flat noses many Black people have) comes from Neanderthals.

It's proof of something I've long held...that interbreeding with Neanderthals served the evolutionary purpose of increasing the speed of adaptation to the cold experienced by tropical/African populations as they moved north.

Most white people and quite a few east Asian and Native Americans have Neanderthal noses. Which are better in cold climates.

Oh and central Asians have, it turns out, Denisovan lips.

Interbreeding with a related species is a great way to pick up genetic traits adapted to the environment without having to wait generations to evolve them.

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