Or did they interact and why did smaller humans out live giant humans if the giant humans were better or were they? How did they interact culturally and/or did they interact sexually at all?
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Answer by katie
So, I may be foolish bit I'll assume that you are not a troll.
Human height is determined by things like nutrition and genetics. Even though ancient groups of humans may have had, in general, differences in their height, they were still members of the same species. Cultural differences between groups of ancient humans were probably influenced by a whole lot of different things (environment, food, resources), height might not have been that important, overall.
I haven't heard of any evidence of "giant" humans in the past. If you are referencing the stories in the bible, I'm not sure they are all backed up by scientifically valid evidence.
What do you think? Answer below!
I'm going to go with Katie here and assume that you are sincere in your question.
ReplyDeleteThere is no evidence of giant humans (like those in the bible) with one exception; pituitary gigantism is a real and dangerous condition. It is usually caused by a small tumor growing in the pituitary gland (found in the brain), which produces huge excesses of human growth hormone. Some examples of pituitary giants are as follows: Robert Wadlow (died age 22 in 1940); Andre the Giant (may he never be forgotten; died age 47); Bao Xishun (still alive); Sultan Kösen (still alive). These men can reach staggering heights; however, it comes at a severe price. Pituitary tumors press on the optic nerve as they grow, resulting in gradual blindness; in addition, neuropathy (like you see in diabetic patients) prevents them from realizing when they are injured in their extremities- as a result, infection is a real issue. In addition, the human heart is not designed to pump to something so large; many giants die young of heart failure (as you see in "giant" dog breeds, like great danes and st. bernards). Giants also suffer from severe joint pain.
As to how they interact with normal sized people, there is of course a mix; it depends largely on the personality of the individual in question. Some become ostracized for their size, others become icons. Andre the Giant had a daughter, who grew to be a normal size (lacking the tumor that caused her father's growth).
Luckily, gigantism is a disease that is becoming less and less common; early diagnosis of these pituitary tumors means that they are removed before the person's health is seriously compromised- and before they grow to be giants.
Consider Goliath. He was a soldier and a braggart. Eventually he got called out and got killed in a duel. His brothers met similar fates.
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