Mapping the Mountains of Giants: Anthropometric Data from the Western Balkans Reveal a Nucleus of Extraordinary Physical Stature in Europe

Abstract

The inhabitants of the Dinaric Alps (former Yugoslavia and Albania) have long been known as people of impressive body height, but after World War II, there was a critical lack of data related to this phenomenon. This anthropological synthesis includes the measurements of 47,158 individuals (24,642 males and 22,516 females) from the period 2010–2018 and maps detail regional differences in male stature in the Western Balkans. According to these data, young men from Montenegro (182.9 cm) are currently the tallest 18-year-olds in the world, surpassing their Dutch peers (182.4 cm), and 18-year-old boys from Dalmatia are even taller (183.7 cm).at a regional level. A continuous belt of extraordinary height means (>184 cm) stretches from the Adriatic coast of Dalmatia through Herzegovina to the central part of Montenegro. This article summarizes all the key socio-economic, nutritional, and genetic data, and offers possible explanations for this anthropological phenomenon. Since the remarkable height of the Dinaric populations cannot be connected with any commonly known environmental factor, the most probable hypothesis is genetic and links these physical characteristics with the local founder effect of Y haplogroup I-M170. Furthermore, given that both the level of socio-economic development and dietary protein quality are still sub-optimal, the local upward trend in body height has the potential to continue in the future.

Genetic ancestry and male founder effects explain differences in height and lactose tolerance in 60 Caucasian populations

“…Virtually all I2a-P37.2 in the Dinaric Alps is represented by its subbranch I2a-M423 (I2a1a2) [48][49] The work of our research team [50] identified a geographical nucleus with extraordinarily tall statures (≥184 cm), which includes Dalmatia, Herzegovina, and the northwestern parts of Montenegro (Figure 13), and agrees with the regional distribution of Y hg I [45,47,49]. However, the Western Balkan area is characterized by several peculiarities: First, the ratio between Y hg I and Villabruna k=7 or BHG k=12 ancestry in the Western Balkans is higher than in Scandinavia, indicating a stronger male founder effect over a genetically alien substrate.…”

Perancangan Mesin Perontok Padi Portabel Menggunakan Pendekatan Biomekanika

“…Mesin perontok padi yang ada belum didesain dengan mempertimbangkan aspek ergonomi dan belum sesuai postur tubuh petani. Postur tubuh manusia di dunia beragam ada orang Asia dengan perawakan kecil, Eropa dan Afrika dengan perawakan besar, Melayu, dan Jawa dengan perawakan lebih kecil dari Asia Timur Raya (Grasgruber and Masanovic, et al 2022;Grasgruber and Mašanović, et al 2022;Suryadarma, 2019).…”

Correction: Grasgruber et al. Mapping the Mountains of Giants: Anthropometric Data from the Western Balkans Reveal a Nucleus of Extraordinary Physical Stature in Europe. Biology 2022, 11, 786

“…In the original publication [ 1 ], the authors’ surnames were listed without diacritics. At the same time, Natasa M. Mihailovic should not have a middle name.…”