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How Europeans became white-skinned

New research by physical anthropologists suggests that white skin only developed quite recently. Homo sapiens — the species of modern human beings — arose some 200,000 years ago. Now it seems that for 190,000 years we were all dark-skinned, reflecting the origins of man in Africa. This included the populations of Europe.

Then about 8,000 years ago, white skin developed quite rapidly across the continent, and scientists have never been able to conclusively answer why this was.

Until now, the main theory said people’s skin lightened gradually as humans migrated to colder northern climates. Now it seems that change happened more recently and far more quickly than previously thought.

The two principal reasons for this were mass migrations from the Middle East and the Southern Russia and the introduction of more powerful gene sequences, which favored natural selection in the direction of lighter skin.

Coupled with the influence of climate on pigmentation, it gives a far more scientific basis with which to understand the transformation. Without these two factors, Europeans would probably be far darker than they are now.

Remains of a Stone Age man in Spain have been established as having blue eyes and dark skin.

Remains of a Stone Age man in Spain have been established as having blue eyes and dark skin.
CSIC Video Screengrab

According to Science AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science), researchers from Harvard University carried out an analysis of DNA from the genes of 83 ancient individuals found in different archaeological sites throughout Europe. They then compared the results with ones from the 1000 Genomes Project

They found that the ancestors of modern Europeans came from a mix of three populations, which began around 8,000 years ago. Waves of peoples from Turkey and the Caucasus regions with whiter skin, migrated to Europe in huge numbers around this time and quickly mixed with the local population. They carried three genes associated with whiter skin, which southern and central Europeans lacked at this time.

After roughly 2,000 years, the darker complexion of earlier Europeans became overwhelmingly whiter. However, this process wasn’t uniform, but developed in patches. For example, studies of Scandinavians from 7,700 years ago showed they were already fair-skinned and this had to do with a difference in climate.

Science AAAS explains,

“In the far north—where low light levels would favor pale skin—the team found a different picture in hunter-gatherers: Seven people from the 7700-year-old Motala archaeological site in southern Sweden had both light skin gene variants, SLC24A5 and SLC45A2. They also had a third gene, HERC2/OCA2, which causes blue eyes and may also contribute to light skin and blond hair. Thus ancient hunter-gatherers of the far north were already pale and blue-eyed, but those of central and southern Europe had darker skin.”

This undated handout illustration shows the DNA double helix

This undated handout illustration shows the DNA double helix
, AFP/File

“Then, the first farmers from the Near East arrived in Europe; they carried both genes for light skin. As they interbred with the indigenous hunter-gatherers, one of their light-skin genes swept through Europe, so that central and southern Europeans also began to have lighter skin. The other gene variant, SLC45A2, was at low levels until about 5800 years ago when it swept up to high frequency.”

According to the Mail Online, the researchers also tract connected genes responsible for tallness, which altered the size of indigenous populations. This came from the Kurgan or Yamnaya poplulation who migrated to Europe about 5,800 years ago from southern Russia, and who had a genetic propensity for tallness.

Science AAAS says that, while it isn’t mentioned in the research paper, Nina Jablonski, a paleoanthropologist from Pennsylvania State University University suggested an overlap in the genetic changes and climatic conditions.

She believes that lighter skin was more favorable for populations in colder and darker regions of the north. Lighter skin probably had greater ability to absorb more vitamin D, which would have been in shorter supply with less sunlight and shorter days. People living in northern latitudes, she said frequently lack sufficient UV to synthesize vitamin D in their skin.

Presumably, height was also tied to an improvement to the diet when the migrant populations introduced farming to replace the hunter-gather existence of earlier Europeans. Conversely, could also be the reason why southern Europeans in Spain and Italy actually became shorter as a result of colder conditions and poorer nutrition 6,000 years ago.

Another interesting factor revealed in the genetic changes is that they favored tolerance of milk, which was lacking among the earlier Europeans. Being farmers, the migrants from the East had probably developed more lactose tolerance and this would have spread gradually into the populations of the colder north, as milk also contains large amounts of vitamin D, which they needed.

The new study gives us a far greater understanding of human evolution, though it still leaves many questions unresolved.

Dr. Iain Mathieson of Harvard University recently presented the study at the 84th annual meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists.

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