"Reason"  wrote in message
news:...
> "TV Girlie"  wrote in message 
> news:cjk7g3$hiv$1{at}darwin.ediacara.org...
> > Hi all,
> > I majored in Zoology in college and had several genetics classes.  I
> > also took some anthropology courses.  I have a question, and I just
> > can't remember what (or if) we learned about it in the classes I took.
> > (I graduated in '95, and now my memory is like a sieve).
> >
> >>From what I remember, humans developed - through evolution - differing
> > skin colorations due to the amount of melanin in their skin.  Those
> > living closest or on the equator tended to have darker skin to protect
> > them from the damage that the sun can cause, and those further away
> > from the equator had lighter skin.
> >
> > First question, am I recalling that logic correctly?
> >
> > Second question... I've noticed in people of African descent that the
> > bottoms of their feet and the palms of their hands are much lighter
> > (in most cases) than the rest of their body's skin.  So my question is
> > ... why?  Is there an evolutionary component to that?  Was there a
> > "benefit" (genetically, evolutionally speaking) to that?
> >
> >
> > Thanks!
> 
>  Kathryn
> 
> Very simply, more melanin will make you healthier in a sunny climate, and 
> less melanin will make you healthier in a cloudy climate.
> 
> It has to do with the lack of vitamin D produced in tha absence of sunlight, 
> and the risk of sunburn and cancer in a sunny climate.
> 
> As to lighter palms and soles, those are areas which are rarely exposed to 
> direct sunlight.

Hey,
Thanks for replyig.

I was thinking it had something to do with those areas of the body
being less exposed to the sun, and that ultimately skin color has to
do with protection from the sun

Thanks!!
Kathryn
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