THE NOSE KNOWS: Nose shapes in human ancestors and different populations of modern humans are molded by genes and the environment.COURTESY OF KAUSTUBH ADHIKARI
Narrow, flat, hooked, button, straight, or none of the above, the human nose comes in myriad shapes and sizes. But no matter how noses look, they all share at least one common function: to warm and humidify air on its way to the lungs. Like a wind tunnel, the nasal passages cause turbulence in inspired air, allowing it to touch the inner walls of the nose and draw moisture and heat from our mucosa and blood vessels.
The shape of the human nose has been sculpted in part by climate. “A lot of it depends on the environment that your ancestors grew up in,” says Lauren Butaric, a biological anthropologist at Des Moines University. “What you see in the cartilaginous structure, which matches up with ...
