Know Height Quote by Adam Rutherford
““We know that height is highly heritable. Dozens of studies over a century have shown that the vast majority of differences in height in a given population are down to genes, and only a small proportion due to the environment. If the tallest person in a population is seven foot, and the shortest five, there’s a twenty-four-inch difference. Approximately twenty-two of those inches are the result of genetic differences. Tens of thousands of people have been inputted into GWAS analysis, which has revealed plenty of alleles that stand out as relevant. But, in total, when you add up the contribution that each seems to make to height, it only comes to around an inch or two. The genetic contribution that makes up the other twenty inches is—for now—missing in action. It’s the same for heart””
About This Quote
Source Speech: Public lecture on genetics, 2020
Height is largely genetic, yet known genes explain only a small fraction of the total variation, leaving most of the genetic influence unidentified.
In simple terms: Genes set most of height, but we’ve found only a few.
Key Takeaway
Recognize limits of current genetic knowledge.
Themes
genetics
heritability
science
uncertainty
Mood
curious
thoughtful
Type
scientific
informative
When to use this quote
- medical research
- personalized medicine
- public health policy
- education on genetics
Key Concepts
polygenic traits
missing heritability
GWAS
Questions to Reflect On
- How can we improve detection of small genetic effects?
- What does missing heritability mean for predicting traits?
A Different Perspective
Many environmental factors also affect height, complicating attribution.
![“But with each passing year and each new study, the evidence for the genetic contribution to these [individual and group] differences becomes more firmly established than ever.” quote by J. Philippe Rushton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/cde/j-philippe-rushton-25237_contribution_but-with-each-passing-year-and-each-new_1159532.jpg)
