News

Wired: Human size consistency baffles scientists

Published: 2 September 2009

Crunch the numbers on the animal kingdom’s sizes and shapes, and humans differ from each other far less than most species. The reason why is a mystery. “We don’t have an answer. We have this interesting observation, but the explanation is an open hypothesis,” said evolutionary biologist Andrew Hendry of McGill University. Hendry and Queens University biologist Ann McKellar combed through the scientific literature on body size and length in more than 200 species, from insects to fish to birds and, of course, humans. The results were published Tuesday in Public Library of Science ONE and picked up by Wired News.

Back to top