What if any evidence is there that Caucasians people became "white" by spending time in caves?

Question

Please give details!

Answer 1

The caucasian developed during the ice ages and there was more to it than just caves, such as thousands of years of overcast and cloudy weather, deep snowfalls, and barrier cold.

Answer 2

What on earth are you on about?

Answer 3

None at all.  A current theory on skin color difference that makes a lot of sense actually inlcudes several issues, making it more complex than a simple answer.

Several answers have already addressed the potential advantage of retaining dark skin (and more melanin) as a way to block harmful UV rays and reduce the potential for cancer.  Just think about all the warnings these days to use sunblock everytime you go out in the sun, and then think about early humans (and modern folks) in Africa with little protection from the sun as they go about their everyday activities - dark skin is definitely a lifesaver.  

But why then did folks that moved out of africa and into more northen climates develop lighter skin? what is the advantage? It appears that it actually relates to fetal development in the mothers womb.  All humans need Vitamin D, and the need for it is greatly increased in pregnant woman.  Just take a look at the milk you drink every day and you will see that most of it is fortified with Vitamin D (big letters on the carton).

Humans do have the ability to produce our own Vitamin D, but it is dependant on ultra-violet radiation absorbed through the skin.  With the amount of time we spend indoors and clothed these days, it is difficult to naturally create as much as we need, thus the need for it in Milk and other fortified foods.  

In the tropics, there is plenty of UV radiation, and enough still passes through the melanin in dark skin for humans to create our own Vitamin D naturally.  However, as you move away from the equator the amount of direct sunlight, and UV radiation decreases - decreasing the ability to absorb UV rays and make our own.  Dark skin compounds the situation by decreasing even more the amount that gets through.  As a result, a woman with lighter colored skin will be able to produce more vitamin D in low UV areas than a woman with darker skin and is likely to be more successful at carrying babies to term.  This is balanced by the lower need for high melanin content to prevent skin cancer - it is not removed completely - but there is a balancing act between the two issues.

Over several millenium this trend adds up to a ligthening of skin color as humans moved farther north.  Recent satellite data from NASA has been helpful in providing more strength to this theory.  Satellite images of the atmosphere has identified areas where the earth (for many complex reasons) seems to have higher and lower density ozone levels.  Ozone helps to reduce UV penetration of the atmosphere and skin color seems to correlate well with the various ozone levels identfied.

For an academic article on this go to www.as.ua.edu/ant/bindon/ant570/topics/S...

DM

Answer 4

Melanin absorbs harmful ultraviolet rays.  By absorbing the light, it does produce heat, but that is still preferable to the cancer causing effects of the sun's radiation.  It is a myth, in my opinion, that very many Europeans lived in caves.  Caves are just very good places to look for fossils.  Europeans became lighter skinned because they didn't need to waste resources on producing so much melanin and it probably helped the absorbtion of Vitamin D which is absorbed through the skin after ultraviolet light converts the substance in our sweat.

Answer 5

That's completely absurd. It's called melanin. Check it out.

Answer 6

Melanin has been found to have antiseptic properties and anti-histaminic too... So since Africa is populated with the highest population of mosquitoes in the world, then my guess is that the melanin covering their body was to protect them against mosquitoes bites. I do have some african friends and they told me that they never get inflamation bumps on their skin after a mosquitoe bite, and never see them got one either, even when I was covered with them!! So our northern countries have less need for such protection as our climate is quite colder and don't allow mosquitoes to thrive all year long.

This has more senses!

Answer 7

While normally evolution does not work that way (environmental determinism) I think after travelling through D.C. last week and spotting a few legislators that yeah, it can happen.  I was almost blinded by the white skinned senators crawling out from their caves.

Answer 8

Not much. People all over the world have lived in caves, rockshelters, and other enclosures throughout human history. It almost certainly has to do more with the climate of the particular region light-skinned people originated in, not their houses. Dark-skinned people lived in caves and houses too.

Answer 9

NOT UNLESS THERE'S A SPECIES OF SUBTERRANEAN BEINGS WE DON'T KNOW ABOUT.

Answer 10

None.  Humans often lived in caves, but not every European did.  Pale skin tends to correspond to areas with less sun exposure.  People probably evolved it so they'd get enough sun to make enough vitamin D.

Answer 11

If your forefathers (and mothers) lived most of their lives covered up from the cold they would be lightskinned. Most equatorial peoples lived uncovered.

Answer 12

no.  people's color is generally determined by how close to or how far from the equator they live.  right near it is where you find dark-skinned people, the darkness protects them from the intense rays of the sun.  farther from it lighter skin has evolved to help the absorption of the less intense rays.

Answer 13

Caucasians are actually people from the Caucasus Mountains in Russia.  A lot of them are Chechen terrorists.