Why Inuit Are Dark Skinned ?

[The Architect Of Fate]

A question I have heard asked is if light skin is better at vitamin D absorption in more northern climates then why are Inuit dark skinned? The reason is simply the Inuit diet is rich in vitamin D thus there was no need for the Inuit to develop pale skin. It's actually a very interesting example of evolution developing two Adaptations to help the populous survive in a similar environment. Caucasians developed light skin to increase Vitamin D Absorption and Inuits and other northern dark-skinned peoples had diets that provided the Vitamin D they needed.

[Peebothuhlu]

At work.

Not a scientist.

1) There are different 'Types' of melanin. Not just one 'Tanning'/'Darkening' type.

2) Am guessing natural melanin 'Expression' (Like if you have curly or straight hair) is also possibly genetically linked.

3) Sunlight reflecting off 'White' surfaces still imparts some UV type hazzards. So, while the temperature is 'Low' the UV amount is still high.

Hopefully some one smarter with better internet access can add more.

Cheers.

[The Architect Of Fate]

At work.

Not a scientist.

 1) There are different 'Types' of melanin. Not just one 'Tanning'/'Darkening' type.

2) Am guessing natural melanin 'Expression' (Like if you have curly or straight hair) is also possibly genetically linked.

3) Sunlight reflecting off 'White' surfaces still imparts some UV type hazzards. So, while the temperature is 'Low' the UV amount is still high.

 Hopefully some one smarter with better internet access can add more.

Cheers.

True 

[onlinebiker]

Because their Mongolian ancestors had dark skin.


Evolution doesn' t happen overnight...

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

You’re all wrong. Inuit are dark skinned because they have sinned before the Lord and bear the mark of Cain.

/thread

Boru

[onlinebiker]

I thought the mark of cain was a runny nose and one long fingernail.....

[Anomalocaris]

Recently there was a study which suggested that the ancestors of northern European populations which today have high incidence of light skin, blue eyes and blond hair actually acquired blond hair and blue eyes first, long before they acquired light skin color.   As recently as 8,000 years, well after the end of the ice age, this population remained fairly dark skinned.

The paradigm that northern latitude promote darker skin is also not consistently observed.   Amongst East Asian ranging from Vietnam up the coast of China through Korea and eastern Mongolia,   There is no general lighteninh of skin towards the north.  Indeed, some of the lightest natural skin colors amongst East Asians is observed in southern China and northern Vietnam.    

One thing people often neglect when discussion factors influencing human evolution is the role played by cultural  preferences for sexual characteristics that do not in themselves have strong survival value.  Darwin did not over look that factor and noted that sexual selection can be a powerful agent for evolution.    But subsequently research and popular discussion have focused on survival of the fittest as the essence of evolution by natural selection, and neglected survival of those who can find the hottest mates according to their cultural standards as the other power agent of natural selection,

I think a good case can be made that much of the differences in skin color amongst different populations across Euroasia have its roots in culturally transmitted sexual preference for lighter or darker skin, not in the survival benefit of having lighter or darker skin.

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Because their Mongolian ancestors had dark skin.


Evolution doesn' t happen overnight...

They specifically came from Mongolia?

If that were so their language ought to be close to Mongolian or Turkic, which it is not.    It seems linguists regard Inuit languages as its own family, Eskimo-Aleut language family, and not very closely related to any other language.    However, while not very close, the closest other language to Eskimo-Aleut seems to be Finnish and the Sami languages spoken across northern scanadonavian peninsula. 

The Scandinavian Fins are not known for dark skins.