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I always thought it was due to the part of the world you were born in (assuming your parents weren't immigrants from somewhere like Africa).
Countries nearer the Poles don't get as much sunshine as those nearer to the Equator and therefore inhabitants have lesser amounts of pigmentation in their skin.
But something which has always intrigued me is why the inhabitants of places like the Asian countries and Japan have different types of eyes than the rest of the world. Maybe it's because they're much smaller in stature. The latter would help their bodies cope with hot climates since the heart doesn't have to work so hard to cool the body. But this is just supposition on my part.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Xircal
Countries nearer the Poles don't get as much sunshine as those nearer to the Equator and therefore inhabitants have lesser amounts of pigmentation in their skin.
OK ..., so
less sun, less pigmentation.
more sun, more pigmentation.
Uhmm, most sun around the equator.
Then why really dark skin in Africa (originally),
and more brown anywhere else around the equator ?
More sun in Africa ?
This isn't a thread on prejudice or on white supremacy if that's what you want to talk about start your own thread.
This isn't news to most people. But it's not only Europeans who have light skin. Some ethnic groups that live in the arctic have light skin, too. Some Siberian tribes do. Obviously, for the same reason as Europeans have light skin.
OK ..., so
less sun, less pigmentation.
more sun, more pigmentation.
Uhmm, most sun around the equator.
Then why really dark skin in Africa (originally),
and more brown anywhere else around the equator ?
More sun in Africa ?
The frequency of cloud cover makes difference and the other continent doesn't have strong influence from big chunk of desert.
More time in the sun. Many generations of humanity have been baked by the African sun, far more than say the recent immigrants to the Americas.
Africa is the cradle of mankind, we evolved there. The dark melanin laden skin probably goes all the way back to our hominid ancestors. The loss of it is only a recent thing.
This isn't news to most people. But it's not only Europeans who have light skin. Some ethnic groups that live in the arctic have light skin, too. Some Siberian tribes do. Obviously, for the same reason as Europeans have light skin.
I disagree most people are unaware of the specific mutations. Light skin is found in the arctic although it is not as light some believe because their diet was higher in fatty fish.
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why are Americans so obsessed about northern Europeans?