Hey, Triangle Bob! You're so tiny. Wait a minute, did you mess with my shrink ray again? Yes,
I see now that you totally did, judging by the looks of this room. Hey, animator,
any chance we could resize Triangle Bob? [Music] Animator? Huh, that's weird. Well,
good news though. Itty Bitty Bob here has me thinking of a fun video idea. What's the
smallest size humans have ever been, and how would it impact our world if humans were smaller? Now,
let's find out. Time to go on a journey through the land of human heights!
Hey there, welcome to Life Noggin. First station: Neanderthals. These stubby folks stood about five
feet five inches tall and roamed around from 400,000 to 40,000 years ago. Then,
we've got Homo Floresciensis at just three feet six inches tall. When it comes to modern folks,
the pygmies of central Africa stand at around 4 feet 11 inches. Compare that to the European guys
10,000 years ago who averaged four feet four inches, a good five inches shorter
than today. Much taller than our Itty Bitty Bob here. The average height for
a little person or person of short stature is four feet, while the shortest person ever
recorded was a Nepalese man named Chandra, measuring one foot 9.5 inches. An Iranian
man named Afshin is the shortest person alive today, standing at two feet two inches tall.
What explains some of these heights? Well, food on one hand. Poor nutrition can stunt
growth by limiting energy and protein necessary for cell development, and by causing deficiencies
in essential micronutrients required for various growth functions. But another reason for some of
these smaller heights are short stature disorders. They are usually caused by genetic or hormonal
factors that alter a person's development and bone growth. Achondroplasia is one of
the most common forms of a short stature disorder, accounting for 70 percent of cases. This genetic
mutation affects the growth of cartilage in the bones of a person's arms and legs,
resulting in a larger head in proportion to the rest of the body and shorter limbs.
So, how would life look if humans were smaller now? Well, the average human is 5'6 for a male
and 5'2 for a female. Everyone being just a little smaller might have some impact. Currently,
you humans need about 25 to 30 calories per kilogram of body weight to maintain your weight.
But if human bodies were smaller and needed less food to fuel their diminutive daily activities,
it would mean less food production is needed, and that would lead to fewer carbon emissions.
The present food system is responsible for approximately 26 percent of worldwide
greenhouse emissions, encompassing various stages like agriculture, packaging, and transportation.
Reducing the size of individuals might also result in decreased emissions, particularly in transport,
which currently accounts for a significant 16 percent of total emissions. Car manufacturers
have already started producing lighter vehicles to enhance fuel efficiency and lower emissions. So,
applying the same principle to humans could yield similar benefits. But to all my short
kings out there, you're beautiful just the way you are. Itty Bitty Bob,
you are beautiful the way you are right now, but you want to probably go back to how you were.
After a few adjustments on my patent-pending resizerator, it's time to fix Triangle Bob.
And he's back! Yeah, sort of. I'll just keep firing until he looks a bit better. Okay. Oh,
after running some polls, it seemed like our audience really wants us to focus on science
videos about movies and games. So, let me know in the comments below right now: what is your
favorite all-time game and favorite all-time movie? Do you think that it would make for a
fun Life Noggin video? Let's see the Life Noggin audience's taste, shall we? Do all the things that
help this channel grow. We really appreciate all the support. Click here to watch this video we
did on aging backwards, or click here to watch this video. For more longevity science, check
out lifespan.io. They're the team that powers Life Noggin. Find them down in the description.
As always, my name is Blocko. This has been Life Noggin. Don't forget to keep on thinking.