Monday, April 13, 2015

Natural Selection causing the Dutch to be the tallest people?


The Dutch are increasingly becoming the tallest people on Earth. Dr. Gert Stulp, a Dutch, is studying why his fellow citizens are so tall. He himself is 6 ft and 7 inches tall, and the average height for a Dutch man has increased significantly over the years. One surprising characteristic of tall men in the Netherlands is that taller men have more children. According to an article from the Smithsonian, sexual selection is alive. Taller men are seen as better mates with more income, better health, and higher ratings from potential sex partners. There is no specific reason as of yet to the increase in height among the Dutch, but seems that natural selection plays a huge part.

This is interesting to see natural selection in play among humans. I find this particularly interesting, because the average height of a population varies from place to place. This shows what is preferred in the area.

1 comment:

  1. Is the tallness of the Dutch people only in regards to males, are the females also short ? Regardless this is very interesting seeing as I'm 5ft 1in and would love to know how to pass on some height to my future children.

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