SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
If you've ever wondered why Dutch people are so tall, this story from The New York Times may have the answer:
Today, the Dutch are on average the tallest people on the planet. Just 150 years ago, they were relatively short. In 1860, the average Dutch soldier in the Netherlands was just 5 feet 5 inches. American men were 2.7 inches taller.
Since 1860, average heights have increased in many parts of the world, but no people have shot up like the Dutch. The average Dutchman now stands over six feet tall. And while the growth spurt in the United States has stopped in recent years, the Dutch continue to get taller.
For years, scientists have sought to understand why average height has increased, and why the Dutch in particular have grown so quickly. Among other factors, the Dutch have a better diet than in the past, and they also have better medical care. But now Dr. Stulp and his colleagues have found evidence suggesting that evolution itself is also helping to make them taller.
It seems that taller men in the Netherlands are more likely to father more children:
Dr. Stulp and his colleagues analyzed data on 42,612 men and women over age 45, looking at the height of their subjects and how many children they had. Dutch men who were taller than average had more children than those of average or lower than average height, the researchers found.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 10 2015, @10:17PM
Interesting that I was modded flamebait. Why is it that height differences are okay to talk about but IQ is taboo to even acknowledge? I made no specific claims save for that there is evidence of difference in IQ, just as there is evidence for difference in height and I listed some of the counterarguments.
I think the moderation says more about the mods than the content.
(Score: 2) by kaszz on Saturday April 11 2015, @12:22AM
Because when there's a lot of self interests involved. There will be a fight.
(Score: 2) by fleg on Saturday April 11 2015, @04:28AM
indeed. which is why i just modded it interesting. would be good if you could post some citations too tho.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 11 2015, @12:07PM
IQ shouldn't be taboo, but it should be acknowledged as mere pseudoscience. The idea that we can measure someone's intelligence using a single number and laughably simple tests, and then claim it does measure intelligence because it supposedly correlates with things some arbitrarily think are indicators of intelligence is pure nonsense. We don't have a good enough definition of intelligence yet, let alone a way to measure it with any degree of accuracy.