Scientists said yesterday that they have discovered a tiny genetic mutation that largely explains the first appearance of white skin in humans tens of thousands of years ago, a findi
ng that helps solve one of biology's most enduring mysteries and illuminates one of humanity's greatest sources of strife.The work suggests that the skin-whitening mutation occurred by chance in a single individual after the first human exodus from Africa, when all people were brown-skinned. That person's offspring apparently thrived as humans moved northward into what is now Europe, helping to give rise to the lightest of the world's races.
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4 comments:
Makes me hungry for a black and white cookie.
I'm not sure this theory is going to stand the test of time. I would argue for natural selection between races that had become geographically separated, where the two regions favored different traits. Mutations do happen, but if white people sprung up among black people, we would have ended up with tan people. What we ended up having were distinct, geographically separate races of light-skinned and dark-skinned people.
Disclaimer: Please don't misconstrue my remarks as racist!
Either way: awesome choice on your picture. The Riddler!
Doh! Note to self: read the whole article before commenting. The author basically goes on to explain the same thing.
Jim... yes, Frank Gorshin was The Riddler, but this picture is from the Star Trek episode "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield", a parable on racism. (Of course, you knew that.) I'm absolutely not a trekkie in any shape or form, but I know of that episode. http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/series/TOS/episode/68800.html
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