Why do humans come in different skin colours?

Question

Hello all. I am a teacher and require your help to answer this very philosphical question that my wonderful class has desinged. Please take time to answer it, thanks!

Answer 1

You are looking for a philosophical answer rather than scientific? what is the difference? maybe so we can realise that everyone is not like our selves and so make us more tolerant of difference

Answer 2

Hmm, you probably have very smart children in your class! Well as far as I know we don't only come in different colours but each colour has it's own characteristics! For example only an asian would truly understand and would be able to "perform' yoga, or karate, europeans, americans and others can only try but never trully succed (with very few exceptions of course),or medically speaking the backbone of a black person is designed differently than the backbone of an asian or of a white person, that being the main cause why they are very good basketbalists and many other signatures of each rase exist! What is truly amazing are not the different colours but the differences at other levels (social, cultural, spiritual). The reason of this differences I believe that only God knows, and probably some special people! You can tell your class that the best thing they can do to understand this matter would probably be to enjoy the simple yet complicated fact of diversity among people (and not only)!

Answer 3

It's not philosophical it's science.

We evolved as such. People with fair skin evolved in parts of the world where there is lesser sunlight, so to get the maximum use of it when it does shine, their skin is pale. That's why they're not suited to high sunlevel environments and burn.

People with dark skin evolved in parts where there is more sunlight, their skin doesn't burn as easily, as it does not absorb as much of the light.

If you take modern human migration(to the Americas and Australia) it's very noticeable.

There's also something to be said for breeding patterns, where genetics diversify as you move across a country and the people from one country mingle genetics with those of other ones, sort of like why Egyptians are darker skinned than Europeans.

There's also the theory of cultural genetic choices based on what's attractive at the moment. If a certain culture prizes long noses and sees it as the most attractive aspect, then long noses get bred in, same goes for if strength or brain capacity is prized.

I've put a link below that talks about the Ashkenazi Jews as being more intelligent than the regular white population, appearantly this has to do with them doing more and more intellectual work, and as they are only allowed to marry other Jews they created this genetic variance in their group. It's actually really interesting.

So I hope this helps.

Answer 4

The skin colour is due to melanin. The fat that consist under our skin is easily burn when we exposed ourselves under the hot sun.
In African countries, generally the temperature may rise up to 48 degree celcius during summer. This high temperature burn the fat and little bit of skin which resulted in darker skin colour.
In European countries where the highest temperature generally about 32 degree celcius at peak summer has not resulted in skin burning because the period of exposure is not very long. The summer come after Spring before winter and autumn. So the people in European countries normally have white to reddish skin.
In Asian countries where the temperature just moderate through out a year has resulted in fairer skin people.
The temperature in Asia particularly in South-East area is about 29 degree celcius all the year round.
The other reason is the people genetic. It is obvious that a dark skin couple will have a dark skin child regardless of the area where they live.
( Sorry...This answer is purely educational purposes and from my point of view. There is no intention at all to compare the skin colour among people).

Answer 5

i believe there are scientific answers to this question. first, humans are a form of the animal species. all species have differences - for a simple example, dogs have different fur colors and textures. we do not have fur, but, do have skin.
it has also been stated to be an adaptation, survival of the fittest. People whose race originated closer to the sun are darker, those farther away are lighter. Today most everyone in the North America are not the original dwellers, and Native Americans are said to have traveled here from Asia.
we are a melting pot of colors due to earlier voyages to the new world and modern immigrant ion.

Answer 6

Racial differences are adaption to different climates. The Asian or Mongoloid Race evolved in arctic regions, so they need no strong skin pigments for protection from the Sun. They tend to have long torso and short limbs to conserve body heat. Thick straight hair and the extra tissue around the eyes insulate from cold weather. They survive on a modest diet, since food may be scarce in the arctic areas. Africans or Negroids evolved in tropical climates and have strong skin pigment and active perspiration glands to protect them from the Sun and extreme heat. Long limbs and short torsos disperse body heat. The wooly hair and slanted skull are protection from Sun and heat too. The European or Caucasoid Race evolved in a temperate climate, so they have features between the extremes of the other two main races. There is re-adaption, as one may see by comparing a Swede and a Spaniard or a Mandarin and a Cantonese. I told Helen Chan, "You puzzle me, because your face and coloring look Cantonese, but your skull and body look Mandarin." She replied, "Father is Cantonese, and Mother is Cantonese. Not many people notice this about me."

Answer 7

It's not really a philosophical answer to this question. But their are physiological and geographical answers to this question. You will need to talk about human origin (East Africa), the migrations of different groups, and how the weather and sunlight resulted color changes. The can be long 13 chapters written here, and I can't really do it. Good luck with the class.

Answer 8

the folk who're community to a particular area, it is their ancestors lived there for 1000's of years, have developed features that have been valuable to residing there. Over in line with possibility one million years, organic decision has favored those people who've the genetics that make life in everywhere extra handy. those with different genetic features, like a different epidermis colour, have not fared so properly and did no longer have adequate offspring to proceed their line. each place on earth is different and so the folk of each place have developed in a different way. The earliest human beings got here from Africa, and right this moment people who look like they got here from Africa are interior the minority. those early Africans might have regarded plenty different than people who stay in those places in Africa now. I do ramble on, besides the fact that that's not present day issues that reason adjustments in epidermis colour.

Answer 9

Actually, we all have the same color; some of us just have more than others. Skin color is caused by melanin, plus how close to the surface our fat cells (yellow) and capillaries (red) are.

Natural selection weeded out those whose skin color was disadvantageous for the area to which they migrated, resulting in light-skinned people where the sun was lightest and dark-skinned people where the sun was brightest.

Answer 10

I suppose it's because we live in various parts of the world with different sun exposure. Skin color can also be obtained by say inter-racial relationships that produce children of a different skin shade than the parents.