GrowTallest

What the genetics of height says

The largest genetic map of any human trait, the pathways it ranks first, and why a polygenic score for height is not a product.

Measured heightUpdated

6 min read12 sources

What the genetics of height says: thousands of common variants each worth a fraction of a centimetre, a few rare ones worth up to about two, and both kinds sitting in the genes that build a growth plate. CommonRareOn the plate12,111, tiny eacha few, up to 2 cmnot the hormones

Height became the model trait for this work because it is highly heritable, trivial to measure, and has yielded more common genetic associations than any other human phenotype.

In this article

  • The pathways it ranks
  • Rare variants of large effect
  • A signal with no mechanism
  • What the genetics predicts about everything else

The rest of this article is for members

Join to read it, and every other article in the library.

Join for $11.99

Lifetime · 3 of 10 founding spots left

Tax is added at checkout (VAT/GST where it applies).

or $9.99 a month

Renews every month at the current price plus tax until you cancel. Cancel from your account before the next monthly charge to stop it.

Card purchases are sold and charged by Link (Stripe) under Link's terms and refund policy.

Educational content, not medical advice. Nothing here is a recommendation to take or stop taking anything — talk to a doctor about your own situation.