who evolved first, white people or black people?

Question

Assume that you believe in evolution, if the first humans evolved from apes, wouldn't they have been white.
Afterall, although apes have brown or black fur, the skin is generally white underneath the fur. So when those proto-human apes shed their fur, wouldn't they have been white initially?

Answer 1

Why accuse $0.02 of making race an issue? Are we suppose to try so hard to not offend that we can't even discuss the beginning of humanity? SHEESH!

Anyway....

I happen to agree with you- that it's highly probable that the first humans were light complected. While it's true that, as someone else pointed out, there are apes who have darker skin, humans didn't shed their hair when they first evolved from apes. A little more that three million years ago, humans looked a great deal like chimpanzees. Chimpanzees' skin is light in color. And they have pink hands and feet that only darken as they are exposed to the sun as they age.

At that time, humans spent much of their time searching for food in the African savanna. But sometime around one and a half million years ago, they became bipeds and, therefore, capable of foraging over greater distances. However, with traveling comes an increase in body tempature... At this point humans shed their hair. But there was a problem-- the exposure of the skin and insufficient melanin to protect them from the effects of ultra violet radiation.

As humans evolved, the molecular structure of melanin was modified. Long story short, and simply put, human skin darkened. And, as people began to migrate, their skin had to adapt to different environments- the varying amounts and intensities of ultra violet radiation.

I have no doubt that someone might respond by accusing me of claiming that we're all a little "white" or some such other nonsense. It isn't a racial issue. It's merely a melanin issue based upon evolution. Our ancestors were African, and we are all genetically connected. Skin complection doesn't negate this. As I said, it's an issue of melanin and evolution.


EDIT: To those of you who, for some reason, are not understanding $0.02's post: You seem to be unwilling or unable to stop associating black with Africa long enough to think rationally. Simply being in Africa wouldn't have predetermined that the first humans were dark skinned since the first human beings were covered with hair. And, because they were covered in hair, their skin would not have had to adapt to the environment. The adaptation of their skin was only necessary once it became exposed.

Answer 2

I am sorry to dis-appoint you 2 cents but the Black man was the first man to ever walked this earth or to have thought....and less than 5 years ago a group of white scientist did a blood test covering the entire planet earth.. And after all of the blood test results were in they found out that every member of man-kind blood line can be trace back to Africa.. Also they stated that the white race came into existence much, much later................... Now as a white man I too wanted to know the truth, But never the less, the above information is true and a matter of record.... And as far as I am concern I much rather live the truth then to fall victim of the big lie and to live that big lie would have been much harder to live with, when the real truth came into existence... I also know that there are many white people that will never accept this statement... But maybe they will be better off bye never accepting the truth.

Answer 3

If I believed in evolution, I would assume that the first people would have evolved in a temperate climate, the optimum environment for obtaining food, and with the least seasonal temperature extreme. At that time, it would have been in the southern hemisphere. Since anthropology tells us that the earliest human fossils were found in Africa, I would guess that humans evolved there first, which implies that they were black-bodied. The black body also would have served as a natural camoflage from predators, enabling them to more safely move around at night, and fade into the landscape during the day.

Answer 4

It depends on where they lived. The ones that migrated north turned white because it had an advantage because white skin absorbs vitamin D easier than dark skin, so with the enviornment in ice-age europe where there was hardly any sun the lighter cavemen got all the vitamin D they needed for stronger bones and had a higher survival rate than the darker ones.

In Africa the dark skinned ones had a higher survival rate for obvious reasons, the lighter ones burned to death in the sun.

Answer 5

well as i have learned n saw the skeleton of Lucy, if you know who i am talkin about. she is the oldest skeleton found and she was found in Ethiopia. you can see her skeleton in the national museum,in the capital city, if you are interested. Anwayz about the skin color, Ethiopians have different skin colors, but they are black, when I say different, I meant some have a light skin and some don't so I don't know what lucy's skin looked like. maybe she was almost white and as time went on people became darker. Go figure.

Answer 6

Yea it makes sense if there were such a theory which has not been proven but its a good point. I can see no reason at all to correlate black people with that at all. good observation. It just goes to show how wierd and bad things can stick around unquestioned.

Answer 7

The first hominids. who were not like any of the homo sapiens species currently alive, were hirsute similarly to apes. Continuing evolution plus migration produced the racial characteristics and differences which exist today, and since our most distant ancestors were Africans and dispersed about the world from there, then darker skinned humans would have preceded the lighter complexioned ones.

Answer 8

trick question eh? as i've always said where and what we've been matters less then where and what we are now, to me yes the whole skin pigment darkening after the ice age would make more sense but i wasn't there so i don't know. personally i'd like to make peace with what we've become before fussing about who came first. what i'd like to see is all this biracial stupidity to go away, 'cause that's what we need are more groups on this planet to try and carve it up a little finer

Answer 9

I dont think modern science believes that people evolved from apes...monkeys are on a different branch of a tree of life. LOL

Answer 10

There is a hidden assumption in that arguement. Not all apes have skin as you describe. We know we elvolved from apes because we have the shared DNA. And the first humans were probably (very likely!) black. So either it was dark skinned apes, or the white-skinned apes gained the dark skin to compensate for the lack of fur.