Human prehistory|The skin of the Europeans may have been whitened later than before. An extensive study on skin colors suggests that one has long received enough vitamin D in Europe.
The abstract is made by artificial intelligence and checked by man.
The majority of Europeans may have been dark about 3,000 years ago.
The researchers investigated 348 inheritance of ancient European. The majority seemed to have been dark -skinned.
Light skin only became more common about 3,000 years ago. The reason was possibly changes in the diet. Light skin produces vitamin D in the body.
Paleobiologist Nina Jablonski estimates that in the past, vitamin D was sufficient for nutrition.
Majority Europeans may have been dark -skinned about 3,000 years ago, according to a recent study.
This is indicated by the samples of 348 deceased from ancient DNA. The samples were compiled from the deceased who lived between 1,700 and 45,000 years ago.
The samples analyzed in the study suggest that 63 % of these deceased had clear dark skin. Only 8 % of the skin was clearly light. The skin color of others was somewhere in between.
The study was reported by the pre -publication service BIORHIVIVE.
Population geneticist Guido Barbujani In the study of Ferrara, the University of Ferrara, with her group, the color of the skin, eyes and hair for several ancient Europeans.
In this way, the group gathered a fairly comprehensive picture of how skin color has changed, for example due to natural selection, migration and wars.
In all groups of people studied, the clear majority was dark -skinned. Light -skinned samples were observed more than those who had lived closer to modern people. However, they were also in a minority.
“A lot of samples have been taken and the data from DNA has been carefully investigated,” said US Paleobilogi and Anthropologist Nina Jablonki From the University of Pennsylvania State New Scientistille.
Light Thus, the skin may not become more common in Europe until about 3,000 years ago.
Until a few years ago, it was assumed that modern people who moved to Europe had become lighter much earlier. Aalto of modern people arrived in Europe about 45,000 years ago.
The lightening of the skin was influenced by the ability of light skin to produce vitamin D. During the winter, vitamin D intake was at risk, especially in northern Europe, due to darkness.
Skin cells can form a precursor of vitamin D when exposed to ultraviolet light. Less ultraviolet radiation is accessible to darker skin cells.
The human body needs vitamin D for normal immune defense.
Light Only about 3,000 years ago, skin proliferation may be related to changes in diet, according to Jablonsk.
“Most hunter-collectors once received enough vitamin D from nutrition,” Jablonski says.
The situation changed as people lived more and more in the same areas. Some of the Neanderthaians may have had light skin even before the modern man arrived in Europe.
“Their skin color probably varied almost as much as the modern man.”
Previously, it was concluded that light skin was not a feature of Neanderthal.
Today It is possible to sequeniate or read DNA for people who lived through thousands of years ago.
Many DNA investigations have been developed in criminal technology. They can identify the characteristics of the suspect in DNA samples taken from the crime scene.
For example, by methods, researchers concluded that as early as 2018 that a man living in Britain about 10,000 years ago was dark -skinned. This so -called Cheddar man had very dark skin and blue -green eyes.
However, genetics related to skin pigments is not yet fully understood.