A study published in the journal Cell Genomics showed that growth plates—the cartilage located close to the ends of the bones that harden as a child develops—are what determine the childs destiny in terms of height. The research indicated that genetic variations were associated with cartilage cell development. The lead author of the study stated that height is a good starting point to understand the relationship between genes, growth plates, and skeletal growth because the height of every human being can be measured.

For the study, the research team screened 600 million cartilage cells to identify genes that, when deleted, can alter cell growth and maturation. They noted that these cellular alterations in the growth plate are essential for growth plate maturation and bone formation. The team then compared the discovered genes with data from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of human height.

GWAS enables scientists to scan the whole human genome in order to pinpoint regions of our DNA where the "height genes" are concentrated.

The comparison showed that genes affecting cartilage cells overlapped with hotspots from the GWAS on human height. Hence, they were able to precisely find the genes in human DNA that probably contribute to the height of an individual.

Additionally, the team observed that many of the GWAS-suggested height genes caused cartilage cells to mature earlier than expected. These results implied that height is directly influenced by genetic alterations impacting the development of cartilage cells. 

(Source: https://health.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/diagnostics/study-reveals-link-between-cartilage-development-and-human-height/99506050 )