What are the biological bases for being white ?

Answer 1

I assume you mean basis.

Before people migrated out of Africa, they all had black skin. As they moved farther north with the short daylight hours in winter, their black skin was not able to absorb enough sunlight to produce sufficient vitamin D.

The darker the skin in the northern climates, the less healthy the people. As a result those with slightly lighter colored skin were healthier and had more children. Those children inherited lighter skin and were in turn able to have more children. Some of those children had even lighter skin and so on.

This happened over perhaps 20-40,000 years. It is called natural selection which favors traits that produce more and healthier offspring.

Answer 2

none. the concept of race is a social invention. A "white person" can be defined by physical traits (straight hair, pink skin...) that can be roughly linked to a genetic basis, BUT there are a multitude of factors implied, too many to determine a racial type. there are biological bases for being human, that's all

Answer 3

Mutation in a regulatory gene for the production of melanin in the skin.
Changes in other genes for the shape of the nose, texture of hair, color of eyes, relative length of limbs.

Those are just the obvious ones. There may be other differences that aren't just skin deep.

Answer 4

The Biology of Skin Color: Black and White
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/07/3/text_pop/l_073_04.html

Scientists Find Gene That Makes People Brown or White
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=1408890

Skin Color (PDF) genetic loci are involved in determining skin color www.as.ua.edu/ant/bindon/ant570/topics/Skincolor.PDF

Answer 5

In early development of humans, to be able to synthesise adequate Vitamin D in less sunny climates by producing less pigment, by virtue of less ultraviolet stimulation of the melanocytes.

Answer 6

white people were put here from space travelers, whites do not have skin pigmentation to help keep the suns ultraviolet rays from damaging their skin, simple as that