There has been a long continuing debate over the height of pygmies as to why do they evolve to be so short. There have been many genetic studies over this issue and all have come with mixed results. Till date there hasn’t been any conclusive evidence on this topic. Pygmies that are usually 1.5m tall evolve to be very small in height. Many theories suggest that this could be a genetic adaptation in order to circumvent the hot temperatures and food scarcity in their jungle homes. Another theory suggested that they evolved a short stature to start having babies earlier, since they usually only live until their late teens or early 20s.

Now some researchers from the University of Pennsylvania have come up some revelations after studying the Western African Pygmies in Cameroon. Their research was aimed at specific genes that could be responsible for the group's diminutive stature. The scientists have linked some promising candidates in chromosome 3 to the short height and also found some mutations in genes which could be associated with biological pathways. These are responsible for activating reproductive hormones.

The study that has been published in the PLoS Genetics could be very vital in giving proper insights on this height depreciation of pygmies. The lead author of the study, Sarah Tishkoff said,” The finding was intriguing in light of the hypothesis that the reason pygmies are short is so that they can reach reproductive maturity early. Early reproduction could be a significant advantage in pygmies, whose life spans average between 15 and 24 years”. There have been nearly 180 genes that have been found by researchers tat influence height differences in European populations, but this study is the first genome-wide study of genes that affect height in African pygmies.