Anthropology
Related: About this forumHow Europeans evolved white skin
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Anthropological geneticist George Perry, also of Penn State, notes that the work reveals how an individuals genetic potential is shaped by their diet and adaptation to their habitat. Were getting a much more detailed picture now of how selection works.
Fascinating combination of recent studies in relatively recent evolution, (last 8,000 years).
http://news.sciencemag.org/archaeology/2015/04/how-europeans-evolved-white-skin
haikugal
(6,476 posts)The comments descend into ridiculous religious conjecture and denial..*sigh*
I'd love to do a DNA test and am pretty sure I have Neanderthal heritage. I have wild, thick curly hair..Scotch Irish on Dad's side. Blue-green eyes and very fair peaches and cream complexion. Blond babies come in the family...I was blond until 5 and so was my son..my sister was a towhead, almost white hair until she was in grade school. Dad was blonde, curly/blue Mom black hair, straight/dark brown eyes with darker skin, olive complexion....she never got sun burned.
This fascinates me...I have one question...the natives in the far north, Alaska and Canada, are fairly short and have brown skin...why isn't their skin whiter...I'd say it's the diet of raw seal blubber but don't know for sure without research.
Panich52
(5,829 posts)It's fun watching expressions on racist's face when I point out that everyone's ancestors had dark skin, were African. If the conversation continues, their denial of evolution eventually comes up. I've often wondered just how many deny the science not because they are such religious fundamentalists, but because it creates hypocracy as to racist ideas.