Hand width can tell if a Ghanaian woman is from North or South, KNUST study reveals

Scientists at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology have made an interesting discovery. They found a simple way to guess if a young Ghanaian woman is from the north or south. The clue lies in the width of her left hand.

Women from the southern forest zone tend to have wider left hands. In contrast, women from the northern savanna zone usually have narrower hands.

The researchers studied 100 female students and measured their hands. Their findings were published in Scientific Reports. They found that hand width helped them guess the correct region about 66 out of 100 times.

While women from the north had slightly longer hands, width was the most noticeable difference.

Dr. Samuel Bimpong led the study in the Department of Anatomy at the School of Medical Sciences. He believes these differences may be due to genetics, climate adaptation, or lifestyle factors.

This discovery is just a first step for researchers. It suggests that simple body measurements can reveal information about people's origins.

The scientists plan to study more individuals and other body parts next. This will help them understand how people differ across Ghana better.