Why do White people have white skin?

Question

Polar bears have black skin to aid in keeping it warm.
Now if a polar bear is an animal that has adapted to cold climates but has black skin to aid in keeping it warm, then how have white people adapted to cold climate--with white skin?

Thanks. This isn't an attempt at racism. Just a mature discussion to be had.

Answer 1

The theory behind this is that in Northern climates there is less sunshine so white people who originated in Northern climates have less melanin. Melanin is a pigment in the skin that makes skin darker and, to some degree, blocks UV rays from sunlight (what causes skin damage including sunburns). The paler skin allowed people to absorb the more limited sunlight more easily. This is important because Vitamin D is obtained in humans in part from sunlight exposure.

Further south near the equator where the sun is more intense, people developed darker skin with more melanin which protected them from the more powerful sun and sunburns.

This is why people with ancestors from Sweden have pale skin and someone with ancestors from Zaire have black skin.

Of course, people move all over the globe nowadays with modern transportation and the genes for melanin production are inherited regardless of physical location.

Answer 2

If your an evolutionist then you simply look at the climates or regions of origin of races. White skin or fair skins come from places that don't have a lot of sunlight, or boggy climates. Nordic lands Scandinavian . They don't need to the darker skin to absorb the heat. Darker skin absorbs heat and transfers it out to keep the body cool. Fair skin absorbs more of the heat to stay warm . yes a polar bear has black skin but that's so when the white hollow hair absorb the heat its transferred much easier.

Answer 3

I don't know, but I would theorize that it has something to do with the climate fluxuations that occur where white people "originate" from. Take the polar bears. They are in a consistantly cold climate. Maybe that is why there skin is black and their fur is hollow, which traps the heat and keeps them warm. You bring up some very interesting questions that I have never considered before. Thanks for getting me thinking......

Answer 4

Good question.Possibly becouse they have adapted to a more sheltered life. Such as shelter from the elements ,more moderate climates,or just lack of having to work hard and outdoors for generations .I am white but I'm also an arceologist .After 20 years I almost have a permantant tan.Ithink evolution is always affecting the human race.But we have not adapted to the cold .Our trial and error has made it possable to adapt

Answer 5

I agree /w taga that the amount of melanin is what determines color and ability to fight sun. White people have less melanin that's y they r more susceptible to sunburn and skin cancer. And it is genetic and am sure that humans and polar bears have different biological make up and genetic codes. I mean u don't c blacks turning white and white turning black based on their longitudinal/ latitudinal positions in stead the temporal chemicals or something raise and lower. Its called temperature and that's how humans adapt. By the way, r u remedial (slow).

Answer 6

Because traditionally "white people" have lived far above the equator, they have not needed to develop large deposits of melanin (the dark pigment in the skin that absorbs the sun's harmful UV rays) which leaves the skin the color of Keratin, the hard, flaky protein that makes up the top layer of squamous epithelium. Hope that helps.

Answer 7

the difference between a polar bear's skin with human's is that polar bears have fur, you know, it's in people's genes to have white skin. other ways, we have coats to adapt to cold climate.

Answer 8

The white skin has probably evolved to absorb the most amount of sunlight for vitamin D and other benefits.

The black skin of a polar bear has probably evolved to absorb sunlight for warmth, and the white fur for camouflage.

Answer 9

I would have thought it evolved that way due to their being in a colder northern climate , with less sunlight and also because they were most likely covered up with furs and what not even when the sun was out.

Answer 10

White people usually live in cold regions or the sun is not as near for those who live near the equator. if you notice, the people who are in hot regions are mostly black or brown-skinned -- this is because the skin reacts to sunlight and produces a substance called melanin. Melanin is responsible for skin color ... the lack of it makes your skin whiter.