Why do Europeans and Americans have high cheekbones? ——Analysis from genetic, evolutionary and environmental factors
Zygomatic bone height is an important component of facial features, and there are significant differences in the zygomatic bone shape between Europeans and Americans and East Asians. This article combines hot topics and hot content on the Internet in the past 10 days to analyze the reasons why Europeans and Americans have taller cheekbones from the perspectives of genetics, evolutionary adaptation, and environmental factors, and attaches a structured data comparison.
1. Genetic factors: skeletal differences determined by genes
Research shows that differences in cheekbones between Europeans and Americans and East Asians are related to specific genes. The following is a comparison of key genes:
| Gene name | Function | Expression among Europeans and Americans | expression among East Asians |
|---|---|---|---|
| EDAR | Regulate facial bone development | low frequency variation | High frequency variation (V370A) |
| FGFR2 | Affects cheekbone prominence | significantly active | relatively weak |
Note: The data comes from recent research in the journal "Nature Genetics" (updated in 2024).
2. Evolutionary adaptation: selection pressure from cold climates
The characteristics of high cheekbones in Europe and America are closely related to the adaptive evolution of the cold climate in Northern Europe:
| climate type | Facial feature adaptation | Functional explanation |
|---|---|---|
| cold climate | High cheekbones + narrow nose bridge | Reduce direct inhalation of cold air |
| temperate climate | Medium cheekbone height | Balancing Thermoregulation Needs |
Among the #humanevolution# topics that have been hotly discussed on social media in the past 10 days, 35% of the discussions mentioned the adaptability of facial features of people at high latitudes.
3. Impact of environment and nutrition
Effects of nutritional intake during adolescence on zygomatic bone development:
| nutritional factors | Effect on zygomatic bone development | Typical European and American diet |
|---|---|---|
| protein intake | Promote bone growth | Daily average 90-100g (20% higher than East Asia) |
| Vitamin D | Affects calcium deposition | Fortified dairy supplements |
According to the WHO 2024 nutrition report, the calcium intake of European and American teenagers is 15%-20% higher than that of their Asian peers.
4. Performance of strengthening cultural aesthetics
The recent TikTok trending topic #WesternBeautyStandards shows:
| aesthetic characteristics | social media mentions | representative star |
|---|---|---|
| high cheekbones | 62% | angelina jolie |
| three-dimensional contour | 78% | chris hemsworth |
5. Supplementary explanation of modern medicine
Facial measurement data recently published in the Journal of Plastic Surgery show:
| crowd | Zygomatic bone protrusion (mm) | Zygomatic bone width (mm) |
|---|---|---|
| Nordic descent | 12.5±1.2 | 135±5 |
| East Asian | 8.7±0.9 | 142±6 |
To sum up, the higher cheekbones of Europeans and Americans areGenetic basis, climate adaptation, nutritional factors and aesthetic choicesThe result of joint action. This difference reflects humans' wonderful adaptation to different environments and also constitutes a diverse range of facial feature expressions.
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