The first modern Britons, who lived about 10,000 years ago, had “dark to black” skin, a groundbreaking DNA analysis of Britain’s oldest complete skeleton has revealed.
The fossil, known as Cheddar Man, was unearthed more than a century ago in Gough’s Cave in Somerset. Intense speculation has built up around Cheddar Man’s origins and appearance because he lived shortly after the first settlers crossed from continental Europe to Britain at the end of the last ice age. People of white British ancestry alive today are descendants of this population.
Combing human genome reveals roots of hair diversity
It was initially assumed that Cheddar Man had pale skin and fair hair, but his DNA paints a different picture, strongly suggesting he had blue eyes, a very dark brown to black complexion and dark curly hair.
The discovery shows that the genes for lighter skin became widespread in European populations far later than originally thought – and that skin colour was not always a proxy for geographic origin in the way it is often seen to be today.
lfc - "it is technically impossible for a group of people to become lighter, only darker"
Obviously you don't mean technically in this context. Do you mean physically or even genetically?. Just wondering?
lfc - "it is technically impossible for a group of people to become lighter, only darker"Obviously you don't mean technically in this context. Do you mean physically or even genetically?. Just wondering?
Would have thought this was just common sense myself if as was thought life started in Africa surely everyboby would originally been dark skinned but as the weakest(or possibly advanced explorers) were pushed out of the pack they would have to roam to find somewhere to live The other side of the coin is that we evolve into white skinned from black as will those now in millions of years time but of course some would find that statement racist.
Would have thought this was just common sense myself if as was thought life started in Africa surely everyboby would originally been dark skinnedbut as the weakest(or possibly advanced explorers) were pushed out of the pack they would have to roam t
Easier to read on website : . https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/heres-how-europeans-quickly-evolved-lighter-skin-180954874/
As Europeans divided and conquered much of the world, they carried the genes for light skin with them. But even Europeans haven’t been white for very long. New analysis of ancient European genes shows that other traits we associate with modern Europeans, such as tallness and the ability to digest milk, are also relatively recent additions to the continent’s genetic profile.
The new data, presented at the annual meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists, comes from the genomes of 83 people found in archeological sites across Europe, reports Ann Gibbbons for Science.
For years, researchers assumed that skin lightened as humans migrated from Africa and the Middle East into Europe, about 40,000 years ago. A sun lower in the sky and shorter day lengths would have favored skin that more easily synthesized vitamin D. But researchers are now learning that other factors must have been at play.
For example, earlier this year, the genome sequencing of a hunter-gatherer who lived in what is now Spain helped build the case that Europe was home to blue-eyed but dark-skinned people. This man, however, lived just 7,000 years ago. The researchers write that their analysis suggests that light skin was not yet widespread and ubiquitous in Europe at the time. Earlier work done with the genes of the 83 people in the new study, supported by linguistic evidence, also shows that populations in Europe about 8,000 years ago would have been mixed and diverse.
The new study adds to this growing pile of evidence. Gibbons reports that the researchers found that Europeans probably couldn’t have digested milk until about 4,300 years ago. And the story of skin pigmentation is complex. She writes:
[T]he new data confirm that about 8500 years ago, early hunter-gatherers in Spain, Luxembourg, and Hungary also had darker skin: They lacked versions of two genes—SLC24A5 and SLC45A2—that lead to depigmentation and, therefore, pale skin in Europeans today.
But in the far north—where low light levels would favor pale skin—the team found a different picture in hunter-gatherers: Seven people from the 7700-year-old Motala archaeological site in southern Sweden had both light skin gene variants, SLC24A5 and SLC45A2. They also had a third gene, HERC2/OCA2, which causes blue eyes and may also contribute to light skin and blond hair. Thus ancient hunter-gatherers of the far north were already pale and blue-eyed, but those of central and southern Europe had darker skin.
“What we thought was a fairly simple picture of the emergence of depigmented skin in Europe is an exciting patchwork of selection as populations disperse into northern latitudes,” paleoanthropologist Nina Jablonski, of Penn State told Science. “This data is fun because it shows how much recent evolution has taken place.”
Easier to read on website :.https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/heres-how-europeans-quickly-evolved-lighter-skin-180954874/As Europeans divided and conquered much of the world, they carried the genes for light skin with them. But even Europeans
blackbarn • February 7, 2018 9:46 PM GMT lfc - "it is technically impossible for a group of people to become lighter, only darker"
Obviously you don't mean technically in this context. Do you mean physically or even genetically?. Just wondering?
whatever he thinks he meant it is utter nonsense
blackbarn • February 7, 2018 9:46 PM GMTlfc - "it is technically impossible for a group of people to become lighter, only darker"Obviously you don't mean technically in this context. Do you mean physically or even genetically?. Just wondering?wha
I don't want to rain on the parade but this was known a long time ago. I certainly knew about the migration from India and middle east. I got this 40 years ago from a guy in the same labour party constituency as me in many discussions about origins. He was a muslim friend. He was always on about this migration that happened thousands of years ago.
There is also a very great danger in saying (crudely) our descendants were black and we eventually became white. White supremacists could have a field day with this one and try to make out white is superior to black etc. You know how they try to play it!!!
I don't want to rain on the parade but this was known a long time ago. I certainly knew about the migration from India and middle east. I got this 40 years ago from a guy in the same labour party constituency as me in many discussions about origi
The dna evidence has been backed up by the discovery of a belt buckle half way down his thighs as well as a flick knife and wrap of cannabis where his back pocket would have been.
Ok that was funny but the Richard Pryor at the end made me laugh out loud
........does dad know!
Steve Martin in The Jerk too is funny too...and that ain't shinola!
The dna evidence has been backed up by the discovery of a belt buckle half way down his thighs as well as a flick knife and wrap of cannabis where his back pocket would have been.Ok that was funny but the Richard Pryor at the end made me laugh out lo
I want to know where he was when the romans invaded? The british who faced them were all blue and white?? So was he a slave and have you all apologised for it?
I want to know where he was when the romans invaded? The british who faced them were all blue and white?? So was he a slave and have you all apologised for it?
The experts believe he was a gambler who probably committed suicide. In his leather pouch they found a piece of parchment with the words " 100 Sheckels to win Goliath ".
The experts believe he was a gambler who probably committed suicide. In his leather pouch they found a piece of parchment with the words " 100 Sheckels to win Goliath ".
It's been scientifically proven that hippos are racist and much prefer to attack white people. Hence, to trick those nasty animals, the egyptians opted to paint themselves brown.
It's been scientifically proven that hippos are racist and much prefer to attack white people. Hence, to trick those nasty animals, the egyptians opted to paint themselves brown.
i think its because hippos objected to being named river horses by the greeks edy
no racism involved, everybody knows tutankamans surname was brown, hence the paint colour
i think its because hippos objected to being named river horses by the greeks edyno racism involved, everybody knows tutankamans surname was brown, hence the paint colour