If you are considering raising your offspring, keep in mind that conceiving a child in the tropics increases the chances of having female offspring , according to a new study published in the British journal Biology Letters .
Endocrinologist Kristen Navara , from the University of Georgia, has come to this conclusion after analyzing official data collected from 1997 to 2006, from 202 countries and published in the CIA World Factbook. The average number of females born in the world is 487 for every thousand births. However, in tropical latitudes, for example in sub-Saharan Africa, it rises up to 492 girls for every thousand births.
Although the difference is not too high, it is biologically significant. Navara speculates that it is possible that human gametes (eggs and sperm) are affected by ambient light and temperature , and that these variables could favor either gender based on latitude. In fact, previous studies in small mammals like Siberian hamsters reveal that these animals have more male children during the winter months.
