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Skin colour and race have developed loaded meanings. But when a biological explanation is given for these historical labels, people can start moving away from many misunderstandings. ELSABÉ BRITS spoke to Prof Nina Jablonski, an international expert in the evolution of skin colour.
South Africa, in particular, carries a heavy burden of labels attached to race and skin colour. According to Prof Nina Jablonski, head of anthropology at Pennsylvania State University, the challenge today is to recognise the folly of labelling.
Jablonski is an internationally renowned anthropologist and evolutionary biologist in the study of human and non-human primates' adaptation to the environment. The focus of her study is the evolution of skin and skin colour. She was in SA to receive an honorary doctorate in philosophy from the University of Stellenbosch.
"Humans are visual organisms; everything we see, we label – including each other. We gave people labels according to their skin colour… Colour became an indicator for fundamental human qualities,” she said.
The fundamental misunderstandings lies in confusing race with skin colour.
"Skin colour is part of the construction of race, but it is not absolute – it has developed independently and various times in human history due to natural selection.
"Race is an ugly thing – it is historical baggage that has linked human qualities to it."
She is of the opinion that people have difficulty differentiating between the two because they don't want to accept evolution as fact. Skin colour is the most visible product of evolution in the human body caused by natural selection. Therefore one cannot understand skin colour and all its intrigues without a basic knowledge of evolution.
Race and God
"Some people believe God created us as specific races. That is where we get stuck. It is a very powerful rhetoric; and when human injustices are committed in the name of God, or in anyone's name, we have to stand up and say so.
It is ironic that in South Africa, with one of the world richest fossil sources, opposition to the concept of evolution persists – as in America. Science shows us, however, that the genetic differences between people “are minimal, a fraction”, says Jablonski.
"South Africans must embrace the evolutionary biodiversity and take another look at the labels of the past. For me, South Africa is the spring water of the human race. With its diversity it offers so many possibilities.”
The origin of skin colour
Humans and their closest living relatives, chimpanzees, were separated from their common ancestor around 6-million years ago, with each strain developing in different branches. This common ancestor was covered with dark hair with light skin underneath. Around 4-million years later, or 2-million years ago, Homo erectus, also called Homo ergaster, migrated out of Africa.
By now, this ancestor had a larger brain, which had certain biological implications: the body has to work harder to keep the brain cool. Although H. erectus was not the first hominid to walk upright, he walked faster and further, which also required cooling. To sweat properly requires many sweat glands and a naked body.
By 1,6 million years ago, human ancestors had a dark skin with considerably less hair, and by around 1 million years ago, the skin was almost naked. So the loss of hair was an important part of becoming human, like the fact that we learned to make fire, walk upright and hunt.
Naked skin is susceptible to harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays, so melanin – our natural sunblock - developed. A skin that darkened, but which allows just enough UV rays through for the body to produce vitamin D, was therefore essential for survival.
And that’s how we arrive at Homo sapiens, 200,000 years ago in East Africa, close to the equator, with a dark and relatively hairless skin.
Migrations of H. sapiens out of Africa began 80,000 years to Australasia, 65,000 years ago to East Asia, and 45,000 years ago to Europe. In areas where UV rays are considerably less, our ancestors had to lose the protective melanin pigment in the skin in order to let the Vitamin D production continue. That is how people those migrants developed lighter skins.
According to Jablonski, the depigmentation of skin colour developed independently in the ancestors of Europeans and Asians, and there are independent mutations in the human genome for depigmentation of melanin (lighter skin).
Also, in countries such as India and Pakistan, people became darker in a process known as repigmentation, because they returned to a tropical climate. "Natural selection happened in different parts of the world in the same way because circumstances were similar. The development of skin colour was not random, but is linked to migration patterns and the sun."
(Edited extract of a feature originally published in Die Burger, Health24, March 2010)
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Your Comments
skin colour
Why think of a darker skin colour in negative terms? Why is skin colour even a factor? Look at how eagerly whites lie in the sun to get " a healthy tan" . Forget about racialism based on skin colour rather think of behavioural discrimination. Oh yes, while we're at it, stop using the term " evolution" . Not realistic. The correct term is " environmental adaptation" .
environmental adaptation
Over many years that is Evolution, idiot....
evolution
I agree that some people are related to apes but this has nothing to do with evolution or skin colour more to do with the way they think.
Wat 'n pot strond!
Bewys jou teorie!
Niemand kan verseker sê waar en wanneer verskillende rasse of kulture afgestig het nie. Nie weteskap nie - asook, dis nie duidelik in die Bybel (Geskiedenis nie) - ons het wel 'n indikasie by Noag se nageslag en by die toring van Babel. Hierdie " geskooldes" moet ophou maak asof hulle alles weet!
Leer eerder ekonomie of iets soos dit wat werklik saak maak... Julle mors jul tyd! Ewolusie (soos ons dit ken) is 'n pot strond! [punt]
Wat 'n pot strond - deel 2
I find it rather amusing that science can prove just about anything of a trillion-gazillion years ago, but when it comes to the " dark ages" and ancient times (outside of the Great Empires) so little is know. It is useless saying this happened two weeks ago if you cannot with accuracy say what happened yesterday.
There is even major speculation on the actual existence of King Clovis (even among Christian circles) - yet we demand pretention that we know more than the Word of God.
Wat 'n pot strond - deel 3
... Think about it. If you do genealogical research there is no way a sain person can profess to say this is their Great-Great Grandfather if they can proof the links inbetween. If you dont know your Grandfather or who his grandfather was, how can you proof to know a ancestor 10 generations ago! It's absurd!
Wat 'n pot strond - deel 4 (afsluiting)
Evolution is build and based on lies and deception - and the tool they use to convince themselves and others of their God-like theory is nothing other than " circular-reasoning." i.e. The bone lies next to a building 10 years old, therefore the bone is ten years old, whilst the building has a bone 10 years old, therefore the building must be 10 years old.
Solid reasoning
You have eyes, apes have eyes. Therefore you must be an ape.
The fact that trees consist of carbon, doesn't mean we are related.
Fanciful conjectures. A plausible theory but not conclusive.
Why should I accept the theory of Evolution as fact?
If you want to believe you are the great grand child of an ape, based on theory... then its your perogative.
What about the rest?
There is more to the biology of a human body than just the skin, what about the rest of the body? Head, mouth, Nose, etc.
@Arno
based on what you've said you know nothing about evolution, if you're going to speak about somthing at least have some brains and study it. you dont need to believe in evolution, if you wish to remain and idiot no one will stop you.
Seriously
Evolution ..... please Prof Nina (AAP-e-DOUPELOS) ....! We have brains and the article really questions our ability to think! Just another academic who got her degree with a lot of verbal and witten diarrhea! Please stay in Pennsylvania ... I think they need you there. Not a good article at all! (My opinion)
American Idiots
" opposition to the concept of evolution persists – as in America"
And just like America we have idiots like Arno and Pieter. Guys, get smarter and read more.
" indikasie by Noag" Im surprised you can type, considering all the inbreeding that " happened" with Adam, Eve and Noah's kids
Opinion and Fact
If you have the facts proving evolution and YOU CHOOSE TO BELIEVE IT ISN'T TRUE then you are ignorant, and ignorance is bliss. So well done you for living a functional lie, but because it is functional doesn't make it the truth.
@Francois
Whats not good about it? Sound like you having keyboard diarrhea. What I would say about this article is that its all old news.
Skin colour
Explain the nose lips head hair etc factor
THE Answer!
Noah's kids are too blame what did the do with the apes and moneys onboard when board!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Theres your answer :¬ )
Races
This is miss info! Races is a reality, Through the study of your skull can be found which race you are. Yes we all have the same genes, but it is the structure they are expressed that makes a differenence. All mammals share +-98% genes, the 2% has huge reprecussions! A single gene has the capability to give the ability of speech which chimps dont have....Still being of a specific unmixed race is a wonderful gift! Nothing like communist propoganda to mix science with politics
@Kyle
Me thinks you missed the point.
Ah shame
Pieter, net omdat jy nie verstaan en dit nie so geskryf is in jou swart " Geskiedenis Boekie" nie, maak dit nie 'n pot strond nie, dit maak jou net nog 'n plat afrikaner, en ons het regtig genoeg van hulle.
Who says changes are only skin deep?
If the climate (amount of sunshine) causes changes in skin colour, it is highly unlikely that changes do not also occur deeper down. Example: If you live in a hot, tropical region, with plenty of food all year, planning for the future and intelligence is not a requirement for survival. However, if you stay somewhere where it gets really cold in winter, you'd better have the ability to plan and be intelligent enough to predict the coming winter, else your race will die out.
Eenvoudig
Elke nasie het maar sy eenvoudiges. Ek neem aan dis dieselfde mense wat dink TV in die algemeen en brei op 'n Sondag is sonde.
And the 100m in the Olympics?
If race is only skin deep, how could one possibly explain the fact that, since 1980, there has not been ONE finalist (not winner, finalist) in the men's 100m Olympic sprints who was not at least partly African. Not ONE European or Asian athlete could even get into the final. Similarly, no African has ever won a Nobel Prize in a hard / real science like physics.
comments
Rather " interesting" comments from some people. Everybody has their own view of things and we have to respect that, even if we don't agree with it. No? Personally I would be interested to see the article as a whole instead of the above " edited extract of a feature published in March 2010" .
Evolution is fact
According to the Bible time table the earth is only about 6030 years old. Do you bible guys really believe that? Word for word? I am a Christian and believe in evolution. I don not say we all came from apes. But we cannot look away from the proof. The way some of my fellow Afrikaners spell makes me wonder about the ape linage. The movement of people proves the skin coulour theory as in the article. Now lets think about the hair, lips, noses and eyes etc. in those days of 80 000 years ago
Evolution is fact
there was much less people than now. Families and communties travelled together. In breading naturally occured. So the japanese looks alike. So does the indians , the chinese the maories etc. Small groups stuck together. Violant volcanic eruptions and other natural disasters like the comet in Siberia killed masive amounts of the popaltion. Ice ages opened new routes. then ended and the routes was closed again cutting of people and forcing the inbreeding upon set comunities.
The evolution of skin colour by Prof Nina Jablonsk
Where can I get the said book, is it published ?
Wrong!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well she (Prof Nina) just need to come and work in AFRICA not South Africa, then she will hand all her prizes back destroy all her research and will start all over again. Everything that she has " proved" will be wrong. I am talking about first hand experience.
@ francois
The reason why so many in Worcester are blind is because the Pioneer School for the visually impaired are situated there. It is the largest of its kind in South Africa and parents from the Western Cape, other provinces Namibia and Zimbabwe send their children there for education. It also has the largest adult facilities for the blind and visually impaired in the country which creates thousands of jobs for them. This has absolutely nothing to do with inbreeding. Get your facts straight!
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