▁ ▁to ▁ ▁and ▁weights ▁r anging ▁from ▁ ▁to ▁. ▁ ▁Male ▁and ▁female ▁gen ital ia ▁exhib it ▁considerable ▁individual ▁variation , ▁with ▁pen is ▁size ▁differ ing ▁substantial ly ▁and ▁v ag inal ▁size ▁differ ing ▁significantly ▁in ▁health y ▁adult s . ▁ ▁A est h etic ▁ ▁Human ▁beauty ▁and ▁physical ▁attract iveness ▁have ▁been ▁pre occup ations ▁throughout ▁history ▁which ▁often ▁intersect ▁with ▁anth rop ometric ▁standards . ▁Cos met ology , ▁fa cial ▁symmetry , ▁and ▁wa ist – hip ▁ratio ▁are ▁three ▁such ▁examples ▁where ▁measurements ▁are ▁commonly ▁thought ▁to ▁be ▁fundamental . ▁ ▁E volution ary ▁science ▁Anth rop ometric ▁studies ▁today ▁are ▁conducted ▁to ▁investigate ▁the ▁evolution ary ▁significance ▁of ▁differences ▁in ▁body ▁proportion ▁between ▁populations ▁whose ▁ancest ors ▁lived ▁in ▁different ▁environments . ▁Human ▁populations ▁exhib it ▁clim atic ▁variation ▁patterns ▁similar ▁to ▁those ▁of ▁other ▁large - b od ied ▁m amm als , ▁following ▁Berg mann ' s ▁rule , ▁which ▁states ▁that ▁individuals ▁in ▁cold ▁clim ates ▁will ▁tend ▁to ▁be ▁larger ▁than ▁ones ▁in ▁warm ▁clim ates , ▁and ▁Allen ' s ▁rule , ▁which ▁states ▁that ▁individuals ▁in ▁cold ▁clim ates ▁will ▁tend ▁to ▁have ▁shorter , ▁stub b ier ▁lim bs ▁than ▁those ▁in ▁warm ▁clim ates . ▁ ▁On ▁a ▁micro e volution ary ▁level , ▁anth rop olog ists ▁use ▁anth rop ometric ▁variation ▁to ▁re construct ▁small - scale ▁population ▁history . ▁For ▁instance , ▁John ▁Re le th ford ' s ▁studies