What if some of the features you see every time you look in the mirror were partly shaped by weather experienced thousands of years before you were born?

In this episode of Meteorology Matters, we explore the extraordinary evidence connecting human evolution with temperature, humidity, sunlight, drought, atmospheric pressure and other environmental conditions. From the shape of the human nose and differences in skin pigmentation to curly scalp hair, body proportions and our remarkable ability to sweat, generations of exposure to very different climates appear to have left biological fingerprints on populations around the world.

We also look beneath the surface. Research is revealing genetic differences associated with cold-weather thermogenesis, kidney function and dehydration tolerance in extremely arid environments, and the ...