Climate shaped the human nose, researchers say

Variations in nose shape developed as a result of natural selection in response to different climates, new study suggests

Human noses have been shaped by climate, according to research probing variation in the human snout.

Researchers say their findings back up the theory that wider nostrils developed in populations living in warm, humid conditions, while populations living in high latitudes, such as northern Europe, developed narrower nostrils as an adaptation to the chilly, dry conditions.