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posted by martyb on Friday April 10 2015, @08:08PM   Printer-friendly
from the looking-up dept.

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.

 
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  • (Score: 2) by kaszz on Saturday April 11 2015, @06:07PM

    by kaszz (4211) on Saturday April 11 2015, @06:07PM (#169009) Journal

    Sane women are those that have realistic requirements and are honest about them. And in generally having a courteous manner.

    And higher age makes it harder, but giving up just means one does it the wrong way.

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  • (Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Saturday April 11 2015, @07:47PM

    by Grishnakh (2831) on Saturday April 11 2015, @07:47PM (#169054)

    Giving up gives you a lot more time to pursue other, more successful interests. Dating (as in actively searching for people to date) takes a lot of time and attention.