how did humans change from hunter-gatherers to cultivators? Twelve thousand years ago such a change was experienced. However, it had an effect on people’s height. Which one? Agriculture made humans shorter.
Other factors
An international team of researchers analyzed the DNA of ancient humans. For this, they measured the skeletal remains of 167 ancient individuals across Europe. A shorter stature is an indicator of poorer health. So, it suggests that they were not receiving enough nutrition to support adequate growth. These early European farmers probably experienced “poorer nutrition. And a greater burden of diseases” that stunted their growth.
There were other skeletal ‘stress factors’ that farmers might have experienced. They include ‘lorotic hyperostosis’: areas of spongy or porous bone tissue in the skull. The new study was led by Stephanie Marciniak. She is a professor in the Department of Anthropology at Pennsylvania State University.
Recent studies have tried to determine the effect of DNA on height. But her new study also involved measuring bones. “We thought about the shift from hunting and gathering to sedentary agriculture. We decided to look at the effect on health with height as a variable,” he said.
Sedentary style
The sample included pre-agricultural individuals (those who had to hunt and forage). Also early farmers and later farmers. So what did they find? Changes were evident. Height was on average 2.5 cm shorter than earlier individuals. And 2.2 cm shorter than later individuals.
why did agriculture make humans shorter? “There are hypotheses about nutritional deficiencies and a higher pathogen load. Therefore, sx1e was due to higher human population density, sedentary lifestyles and proximity to livestock,” Marciniak told MailOnline. Future research should involve larger data sets.
“Our work represents a snapshot of something that is very dynamic. It’s very nuanced.” They believe their approach is adaptable to studies of past human health and could be applied in other contexts. The study has been published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
