4
$\begingroup$

The Moon has been colonised and terraformed to a sufficient degree to support human life indefinitely. However humanity has lost the ability for space travel.

Moon women* prefer tall-dark-handsome men. For this reason moon-men have evolved through sexual selection to become taller than Earthmen.

Question Just as on Earth, there is a limit on how tall a person can be without this causing medical problems.

How tall can a Moon-man grow and still be fit, healthy and active? Is the so-called "square cube law" relevant here?

*Apologies to gender activists but I still use the traditional terms "man" and "woman". Statistically, men have a heavier skeleton and more muscle mass than women. They also tend to be taller.

Improve this question
$\endgroup$
1
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ It might be interesting to ask the opposite: How small can many-generation moon -dwellers become. Moon is a small and hostile place, and most moon-dwellers would live underground. Small size has its advantages, when living in a constrained space. Maybe moon-women would consider that too. Good looks is not everything. $\endgroup$
    – pintergabor
    Commented Apr 2, 2022 at 7:58

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
2
$\begingroup$

Apparently the tallest person on earth was Robert Wadlow at 8 feet 11 inches. People who suffer from giantism die when their heart or spine gives out. The moon has 1/6 the gravity, so it causes less strain on the spine.

As for the heart, the taller a person grows, the more the circulatory system increases in a three-dimensional space, the proportion of height to volume of circulatory system is probably related to the cube-square law.

https://theconversation.com/five-things-that-happen-to-your-body-in-space-52940 "The cardiac output of the heart – the amount of blood pumped out of the heart each minute – decreases in space, too. Without gravity, there is also a redistribution of the blood – more blood stays in the legs and less blood is returned to the heart, which leads to less blood being pumped out of the heart. Muscle atrophy also contributes to reduced blood flow to the lower limbs."

So getting too tall in the moon's insufficient gravity could lead to limb loss from lack of circulation, maybe? I would stick with 9-10 feet for a max possible height based on Robert Wadlow. It's fiction, you just have to sound like you know what you are talking about.

As for 'Moon women preferences leading to sexual selection for taller men', there will be a limit to that preference. At a certain height, women won't be interested anymore. I would probably find a 7 foot man unattractive.

Improve this answer
$\endgroup$
1
  • $\begingroup$ "It's fiction, you just have to sound like you know what you're talking about." I want a poster with that on it. $\endgroup$
    – Murphy L.
    Commented Apr 2, 2022 at 21:34

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .