Oriental Eyes

[tell-me-more]

I'm told that noses are short in Africa and long in Europe because of the difference in air temperature. Is there any particular evolutionary advantage to having Oriental style eyes in the Orient?

[JockSporran]

The ancestors of the Asiatic peoples had to cross some of the most windswept parts of the Earth, e.g. the Hymalayas, the Hindu Kush, the Gobi Desert, the Central Asian Steppes as they made their way eastward. They developed specially shaped as as a protection against the wind.

[4GS]

I thought the diet make their eyes squint when they go for a poo!!

[Scanning]

Are you racist?... short noses in africans??... do you think african people would take offence at your clearly stupid question.

Long noses in europe?... are you saying all europeans LIE! so they have long noses?

Don't even get me started on the Oriental comment!! HOW VERY DARE YOU.... are you related to Hitler?

[JoeBiscuit]

For those interested in fact:

Long nostrils permit greater moisturisation of inspirated air (via a greater mucosal surface area), rendering it more easily absorbed by the alveoli of the lungs. This is of evolutionary advantage in cold climates, and is unnecessary in very warm climates, and is an ethnologically established fact.

The statement regarding development of acute epicanthic folds in orientals is also correct. Both theories stand up to ethnological, ethological and genetic survey findings, and are not racist, but merely objective facts.

Nordic people would not be offended if you pointed out that most of them have blond hair - they would simply agree with you, as it is merely a fact with no deleterious content or malice attributable to it.

As an African, I find your inflammatory and uninformed outburst disturbing and rather a pity. Perhaps you are on a crusade to "save" us "hard done by minorities" from what you (incorrectly) view as racism. You extrapolation that the poster intended to imply that Europeans are "liars" because they "all" (they do not, it is a tendency) have "long noses" is disingenuous and identifies you as a human being with greater potential than you exhibit, but which is wasted on armchair supposition and ego-strutting.

Dr Ismaila M'beke. MBBS MRCS