TITLE:
Soil pH as a Phenotype Determinant in Humans: Proposing a Scientific Hypothesis
AUTHORS:
Inderjit Kaur Barthakur
KEYWORDS:
Soils, Acidity, Ca deficiency, North East India, Phenotypic Variations
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Soil Science,
Vol.8 No.1,
January
16,
2018
ABSTRACT: Plant growth, habitat of various microorganisms, sustenance conditions for the fauna and flora, are determined by the quality of soil. However, alteration in the properties of soil leads to various deficiencies/diseases in plants and thereby affects dependent fauna. The alkalinity and acidity of the soil refer to the change in pH value of the soil. In the North East India, most of the soils lack calcium (Ca) and are acidic. Therefore, majority of the fauna and flora have lower availability of Ca due to leaching, caused by the heavy rainfall. The present study hypothesizes that the life originating from areas deficient in Ca, impacts their bone concentration and facial formation. This makes them phenotypically distinct from their counterparts residing in the other regions which have alkaline soils or have the optimum pH value of soil. Strongly acidic soils, might have led to the formation of the major Mongolian Race in humans.