"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.
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