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Homo sapiens, our upright-walking species, first evolved in Africa between 100,000 and 200,000 years ago. My father is curious about how humans came to diverge into different skin colors once these humans spread out over onto the rest of the world, and how long did it take? Did homo sapiens start off black?

2007-03-30 14:00:21 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics Other - Science

Evolution says NOTHING of humans coming from apes or humans. So stop spreading that ignorance around, please.

2007-03-30 14:22:44 · update #1

6 answers

Our ancestors in Africa had black skin. They lived where the sun was shining 12 hours per day year around.

As humans migrated out of Africa and moved north, they arrived where the winter sun shine was of much shorter duration. Sunshine provides Vitamin D and black skin does not absorb it as fast as white skin.

Winter and short hours of sunlight in the north favored people with ever lighter skin as a result. The farther north and the lighter the skin, the better the rates of of survival and reproduction.

Maybe you recall discussions of the women in Afghanistan being force to stay indoors all the time or completely cover themselves with burkas having problems associated with deprivation of sunshine and thus of vitamin D.

2007-03-30 14:17:18 · answer #1 · answered by Joan H 6 · 2 0

All humans did start out as black. Melanin was lost by those that migrated to areas with less sunlight. This is because they couldn't get enough vitamin D in lower light areas. Sunlight helps with the production of vitamin D in the body. Over time, lighter skin was selected and became more prevalent.

2007-03-30 14:34:31 · answer #2 · answered by Chris J 6 · 2 0

not sure as to how long it took. i have a theory that we spred partially from exploring and pioneering while pangea was still fairly together. the skin has to do with humans amazing ability to adapt to their surroundings. Depending on living conditions like sun, temperature, humidity, people have adapted. skin color can change the amount of UV light it takes to cause damage and other life things

2007-03-30 14:34:33 · answer #3 · answered by Jojo 2 · 2 0

If you believe the bible, then humans came out of the middle east; the Garden of Eden was in what is now Iraq.

2007-03-30 16:08:31 · answer #4 · answered by William S 3 · 0 4

I believe otherwise. see Egypt

2007-03-30 14:07:19 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

i just believe that God created us all, we didn't evolve from monkies or something. i dunno where He created us, but i believe He created us.

2007-03-30 14:08:48 · answer #6 · answered by footballgirl 2 · 0 7

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