![]() For example, the researchers asked if someone with a narrow nose could have an increased risk for respiratory problems if he or she lived in a hot and humid climate. The findings could also have medical implications, particularly as people travel more around the world, the study said. The researchers did note that there were differences between men's noses and women's in their findings, for example, men's noses were larger, on average, than women's noses. Another explanation could be sexual dimorphism, in other words, differences between males and females, the study said. He noted that natural selection isn't the only possible explanation for nose differences. People have tested this rule by measuring skulls however, no one had done the measurements on living people, Shriver added. Thomson "said that long and thin noses occurred in dry, cold areas, while short and wide noses occurred in hot, humid areas," Shriver said. The new study's findings appear to support "Thomson's Rule," an idea put forth by the British anatomist Arthur Thomson in the late 1800s, Shriver said. Indeed, it was probably more helpful for humans in cold and dry climates to have a narrower nose, senior study Mark Shriver, a professor of anthropology at Pennsylvania State University, said in statement. ![]() Narrower nostrils could help facilitate this, as they make the air flow in more turbulently and come into greater contact with the warm, moist mucus in the nose, the researchers wrote. Cool and dry air, on the other hand, needs to be warmed, and moisture must be added. Īir that is already hot and humid doesn't need to change much as it flows through the nostrils. In fact, the nose is so good at regulating air temperature and humidity levels that the air is already 90 of the way to its ideal temperature and moisture level by the time the air reaches the back of the throat, the researchers wrote. The right temperature and humidity levels are important throughout the respiratory tract, because they help the tiny, hair-like cells that line the tract to keep out germs and allergens. It also helps warm and moisten the air before it reaches the lungs. The nose's purpose goes beyond smelling and breathing. People with wider nostrils were more likely to live in hot, humid climates, and people with narrower nostrils were more likely to live in cold and dry climates, the study said. The researchers found that two nose measurements - nostril width and the width of the nose at its base - appeared to be linked to climate.
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