Why Did People Become White?

Live Science ^ | 9/2/2009 | Heather Whipps

[SeekAndFind]

Humans come in a rainbow of hues, from dark chocolate browns to nearly translucent whites.

This full kaleidoscope of skin colors was a relatively recent evolutionary development, according to biologists, occuring alongside the migration of modern humans out of Africa between 100,000 and 50,000 years ago.

The consensus among scientists has always been that lower levels of vitamin D at higher latitudes — where the sun is less intense — caused the lightening effect when modern humans, who began darker-skinned, first migrated north.

But other factors might be at work, a new study suggests. From the varying effects of frostbite to the sexual preferences of early men, a host of theories have been reviewed.

Vitamin D plays an important role in bone growth and the body's natural protection against certain diseases, and the inability to absorb enough in areas of less-powerful sunlight would have decreased life expectancies in our African ancestors. The further north they trekked, the more vitamin D they needed and the lighter they got over the generations, due to natural selection.

This explanation accounts for the world's gradients of skin color traveling south to north, the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among African immigrants to higher latitudes, as well as the relatively darker skin of Canada's Inuit peoples, who have good levels of vitamin D despite living in the Arctic, due to their diet rich in oily fish.

[SeekAndFind]

For that matter -- what was the color of the first man and woman ?

[PBRSTREETGANG]

An aversion to rap music?

[Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus]

For that matter -- what was the color of the first man and woman ?

Probably ruddy - that's the literal meaning of the Hebrew 'dm

[skully]

Why Did People Become White?

So we could oppress non-whites and steal their oil??

[cvq3842]

Because they wanted to play golf. :)

[Clemenza]

Why are middle easterners considered "white?"

Why the fudge do moronic Americans use the 19th century junk-science term "caucasian."

Why do we, alone among nations, categorize "hispanic" as a separate racial category?

Why do retards in the New York area refer to Latinos as "Spanish."

[pabianice]

occuring alongside the migration of modern humans out of Africa between 100,000 and 50,000 years ago.

Not so fast. There is growing evidence that the Out of Africa was just one more Liberal brain fart. Modern man seems to have evolved separately in Europe, and possibly Asia as well, from Homo erectus.

[Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus]

Why Did People Become White?

So they could move to the 'burbs and complain about people bringing down the property values.

[Mrs. Don-o]

to read later

[earlJam]

[SeekAndFind]

Probably ruddy - that's the literal meaning of the Hebrew 'dm

Is that in the Bible ? What chapter and verse ?

[Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus]

'dm = Adam

[cvq3842]

Coffee spit on screen alert!!! :)

[TheThinker]

Well, if you believe in evolution, then it occurs to me that the earliest humans had white skin at the very beginning simply for the reason that animals with fur tend to have light skin as there is no need for such a high melanin content.

As the earliest humans lost the need for hair that covered ones entire body, our skin gradually darkened to protect us from the sun.

[Aria]

hmmm...maybe by taking more Vitamin D my legs wouldn’t be so white....

[dog breath]

I always thought it was because God took us out of the oven too soon. The next batch he burnt black. The third batch came out a beautiful tan and was just right. At least this is how my Indian anthropology professor explained it.

[calex59]

They needed to camouflage themselves when hunting in snow and they didn’t know how to tan hides and dye them white yet, so they simply told their bodies to do the evolution thing and turn white. There, logical explanation for everything.

[US Navy Vet]

Ham, Shem and Japheth

[OB1kNOb]

Why Did People Become White?

Just so others could try and make us feel guilty. (they failed with me.)