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Humans now taller and smarter than ever, study finds

Taking advantage of the rich datasets available that store genetic code of groups and communities, researchers sought to answer questions about genetic diversity and human health. The conclusions of a study at the University of Edinburgh found that people with diverse genetic backgrounds tend to be taller and have sharper thinking skills than others, a major international study suggests.

Researchers did additional analysis to a massive, aggregated dataset that included information from 350,000 people in diverse geographic areas from more than 100 completed studies.

The researchers concluded that genetic variety or diversity was associated to taller heights in adulthood. In addition, genetic diversity was found to be associated with better cognitive skills and greater educational attainment.

However, genetic diversity was found not to be related to a greater propensity for contracting serious diseases such as high blood pressure or cholesterol levels. Therefore, genetic diversity offers no clues as to whether a person is more likely to develop a serious, life threatening medical condition such as diabetes or cardiovascular disease.

Originally, researchers thought that lack of genetic diversity would increase a person’s risk of certain diseases, but the researchers did not find a link. The only traits they found to be affected by genetic diversity are height and the ability to think quickly.

Peter Joshi, of the University of Edinburgh’s Usher Institute, was quoted on the university website, “Our research answers questions first posed by Darwin as to the benefits of genetic diversity. Our next step will be to hone in on the specific parts of the genome that most benefit from diversity.”

The research is published in the biomedical journal Nature.

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