Kumasi — Scientists at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) have found a surprisingly simple way to estimate whether a young Ghanaian woman is from the drier north or the wetter south: by measuring the width of her left hand. In a study involving 100 female students, researchers discovered that women from the forest zones of southern Ghana tend to have wider left hands than their counterparts from the savanna zones in the north.
Published in Scientific Reports, the research revealed that left-hand width provided the best clue to regional origin, allowing the scientists to guess correctly in about 66 out of 100 cases. Interestingly, while women from the north generally had slightly longer hands, it was the width—not the length—that stood out most in regional distinction.
The team, led by Dr. Samuel Bimpong from the Department of Anatomy at the School of Medical Sciences, believes the variation could be linked to genetics, climate-related body adaptations, or lifestyle differences rooted in the regions where the women grew up. This discovery not only offers new insight into human anatomical diversity in Ghana but could also spark wider conversations on how geography subtly shapes physical traits.