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Differences between male and female height in Early Neolithic Europe are likely to have been driven by culture

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Using a large dataset of individuals from Early Neolithic Europe, we analysed DNA, diet and pathology to determine which factors most affected skeletal height. We found that the male–female height differences in north-central Europe were exceptionally large, and that the short stature of female individuals in this region possibly reflects a cultural preference to support male individuals. By contrast, in the Mediterranean, it is male individuals who were short, probably as a consequence of environmental stress.

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Fig. 1: Polygenic scores and femur lengths in Early Neolithic European populations.

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This is a summary of: Cox, S. L. et al. Socio-cultural practices may have affected sex differences in stature in Early Neolithic Europe. Nat. Hum. Behav. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-023-01756-w (2023).

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Differences between male and female height in Early Neolithic Europe are likely to have been driven by culture. Nat Hum Behav 8, 201–202 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-023-01754-y

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