中文摘要：

有人质疑南京直立人的高耸鼻梁的成因,认为高鼻梁是对寒冷和干燥气候的适应,有两篇论文被引用来作为支持。本文指出那两篇论文讨论的是鼻高,鼻宽与纬度的关系,结论是纬度较高者鼻宽较小,并没有论证高鼻梁是对寒冷和干燥气候的适应。本文还援引其他不同纬度地区人群反映鼻的不同部分向前方突出程度的资料,指出目前很难看出鼻的突出程度与气候如何相关。这些资料和寒带因纽特人的扁鼻梁与热带的Bodo化石头骨的高鼻梁的对比以及南京直立人1号头骨所在的堆积物反映温带或亚热带气候,都反对或至少是不支持高耸鼻梁是适应寒冷和干燥气候结果的观点。目前也还没有证据表明南京直立人的高鼻梁可以在东亚的人类谱系上溯源到某些曾经由于对寒冷气候的适应而具有高鼻梁的古人类。

英文摘要：

It has been asserted that highly protruding nasal saddle of Homo erectus skull from Nanjing was caused by adaptation to the cold environmental climate. Articles written by Coon （1962）, Wolpoff （1968） and Franciscus and Trinkaus（1988） were cited to support this assertion. In fact, Coon＇s opinion on this matter has not been supported by later studies, the latter two articles have not advocated that highly protruding nasal saddle is resulted from adaptation to cold climate. Instead Wolpoff（1968） asserted that the nasal breadth is correlated with the latitude in Inuit and Australian aboriginals. Data of measurements cited by the present author from Woo and Morant （1934） and Howells（ 1973）showing the degree of protruding of the nasal part of the skull at its upper and lower parts, in various populations living in the regions of different latitude, indicate that it is confusing in the relation between the degree of protruding and the latitude. There is no clear evidence indicating any relation between the protruding of nasal saddle and the climate. The relation between the shape of nose and the climate is much more complicated than considered previously. The contrast between the degrees of nasal saddle protruding in Inuit skull and Bodo human fossil opposes the assertion that the protruding nasal saddle is caused by adapting to the cold climate. Nanjing Homo erectus lived in the area around 32°N in which is warmer than the region lnuit lives, but the nasal saddle of Nanjing specimen is much higher than that of Inuit. These facts contradict the opinion that the highly protruding nasal saddle was caused by the adaptation to cold climate.