Humans getting taller and smarter - research

People born to parents from diverse genetic backgrounds tend to be taller and have sharper thinking skills than others, research suggests. Photo / 123RF

As the world becomes a big cultural melting pot we are getting taller and smarter, suggests new research.

The international study found that those born to parents from diverse genetic backgrounds tend to be taller and have sharper thinking skills than others.

Researchers analysed health and genetic information from more than 100 studies that included details on more than 350,000 people worldwide.

They found a link between greater genetic diversity and increased height. It was also associated with better cognitive skills, as well as higher levels of education.

University of Edinburgh researchers examined the subjects' genetic make-up and pinpointed instances in which people had inherited identical copies of genes from both their mother and their father - an indicator that their ancestors were related. Where few instances of this occur in a person's genes, it indicates greater genetic diversity in their heritage.

It had been thought that closer family ties would raise a person's risk of complex diseases, but the researchers found that was not the case.

The study, which was published in the journal Nature, found that the only traits to be affected were height and the ability to think quickly among those whose genetic diversity was greatest.

- Daily Mail