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Does Skin Pigmentation Have Anything to Do with Climate and Sun

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Does Skin Pigmentation Have Anything to Do with Climate and Sun

The question about the variation in color between people in the tropics and those living in

colder regions has often been raised. The origin of skin color has been a significant discussion

among human biology scientist's anthropologists, as well as other researchers interested in

human skin color evolution. Since the growth of the human population across the globe, various

genetic variations have happened. The variation in genetics can result in a change in the

phenotype. Additionally, natural selection is a primary fact showing the reality in the origin of

skin color. Moreover, due to the adaptation of the gene to the environment, there is often a

permanent alteration in the human genome. Therefore, researchers have speculated that the

external environment has been an agent of human skin color and thus influencing the genes

responsible for human pigmentation (University of Pennsylvania, 2017). This paper attempts to

determine whether the climate and the sun have an influence on skin pigmentation. The paper

presents the various views concerning the evolution of the skin as a means of adaptation and due

to genetic adaptations to the surrounding environment. The variations in human color and

pigmentation are adaptive traits that relate closely to geography as well as the ultraviolet

radiation of the sun.

Human skin pigmentation varies from the darkest brown to the lightest hues. The

variation in the skin color among people is due to the variation in pigmentation. Pigmentation is

caused by the genetics that an individual inherits from their biological parents. The differences

existing across the populations evolved through the process of natural selection due to the

variations in the surrounding environment. Thus, the regulation of the biochemical effects of

ultraviolet radiating penetrates the skin (López and Santos, 2014). Various substances influence

the skin of human beings. However, one of the most important substances is melanin. The
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melanin is generated by cells referred to as melanocytes and is the chief factor of the skin color

of individuals with dark skin. For individuals with light skin, the skin color is determined by a

bluish-white joining beneath the dermis as well as the hemoglobin that circulates veins in the

inner veins of the skin. The red color underlies the skin is often visible, particularly in the face,

due to physical exercises and nervous system simulation when the arterioles dilate (López and

Santos, 2014). The skin color is usually non-uniform in humans; for instance, the skin of the

palm and sole are usually lighter than most other skin, and this is particularly visible among

darker-skinned individuals.

There exists a direct association among the geographic dispersal of UV radiation and the

indigenous skin pigmentation distribution across the globe. The regions that receive increased

amounts of UVR, usually found along the equator, tend to have populations that are darker-

skinned. On the other hand, the regions that are far from the tropics and near the poles tend to

have limited UVR intensity which is demonstrated by the light-skinned populations. Some

researchers have argued that the human populace over the past five centuries has shifted from

dark to light-skinned and vice versa due to their migration from different UV zones (Sturm,

2009). Moreover, the researchers propose that such major changes in skin color could have

occurred through selective sweeps in less than a hundred generations.

Additionally, the natural skin color may also darken because of tanning as a result of

exposure to the sun. The primary theory, in this case, is that the skin color portrays an adaptation

to the intense rays irradiation to offer partial shield against the UV fraction that may result in

destruction and, therefore, mutations within the skin cells DNA (Brenner and Vincent, 2008).

Furthermore, research has also observed that, on average, females are lighter-skinned

significantly compared to males. This is because females require more calcium during lactation
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and pregnancy. Vitamin D is synthesized by the body from sunlight which enables the absorption

of calcium. Therefore, the skin color among individuals is influenced by the intensity of UV

radiation which influences the production of melanin. In environments with low intensity of solar

radiation, the dark skin prevents the penetration of UV radiation into the skin. This ultimately

prevents the synthesis of vitamin D (Bonilla et al., 2014). Vitamin D is required for the

mineralization of the bones as well as skeleton development, and therefore the insufficient

amounts of the vitamin can result in health problems among children.

Hyperpigmentation is one of the conditions that occur with increased exposure to

sunlight. It is caused as a result of the increase in melanin. Melanin being a natural pigment that

provides the human skin, eyes, and hair with their color, can determine the level of skin tone.

According to the researcher's numerous factors result in the increase in the production of

melanin; however, the primary factor is the hormonal influences and exposure to the sun.

Exposure to sunlight causes hyperpigmentation due to the triggering of the production of

melanin (Callender et al., 2011). The melanin performs the role of acting as the sunscreen for an

individual's skin by protecting the skin from the harmful ultraviolet rays. According to studies,

this is the sole reason why people tan when exposed to sunlight (Avise and Francisco, 2010).

However, excessive exposure to the sunlight may result in the disruption of the tanning process,

thus resulting in hyperpigmentation. Once there is the formation of the dark spots, the exposure

to the sun may cause acceleration of the problem by creating sunspots and post-inflammatory

hyperpigmentation spots even darker.

Furthermore, in an experiment done on chimpanzees and other primates, researchers

noticed a similarity with humans. This prompted the research about the actual cause of skin color

variation in people. According to the researcher's environmental factors influence the

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determination of skin color. The high radiation of the ultraviolet rays causes dark skin color, and

the low production of the radiation leads to light skin color. According to the researchers, the

genes responded to the surrounding conditions through natural selection to ensure human

survival through the production of melanin to protect against UVR (Mystery, n.d.). Moreover,

the depigmentation occurred due to the movement from the low latitude to regions of high

latitude leading to the light-skinned color for individuals. Additionally, the higher primates

exhibit light skin covered with dark hair as well as the capability of establishing a tan to the parts

of the skin exposed. As such, the researcher speculates that the initial hominids that appeared in

Africa were covered with hair. However, environmental conditions such as climate and weather

changes resulted in the necessary loss of the hair for proper body thermoregulation (Parra, 2007).

This resulted in unpigmented skin and unprotected skin along the regions that were exposed to

intense solar radiation. As such natural selection may have influenced the mutations that resulted

in the lightening and darkening of the skin.

The UV radiation, according to researchers, has been a creative and potent force in the

process of evolution of life within the planet. Due to the radiation, organisms have evolved

numerous defenses against the particular UV wavelengths (Jablonski and George, 2010). As

mentioned earlier, the naked skins form the primary interface between solar radiation and the

human body during the period of early man. For instance, within the equatorial regions of Africa,

people were exposed to the potent combination of the UVA and the UVB that are widespread in

the tropics all through the year. The UVA is abundant and has the ability of piercing intensely

into the skin, while the UVB is powerful but less abundant. The UVB, according to (Jablonski

and George, 2010), does not infiltrate the skin dermis since it's usually absorbed and spread. The

researchers, therefore, postulate that the high UVR surroundings produced strong selective
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stresses on the human skin and body. This resulted in the permanent development of a dark

constitutive coloration as well as the ability to enhance the production of eumelanin as a means

of responding to the periodical increases in UVB.

Overall, explaining the genetic and evolutionary mechanisms that have enabled the

lightening or darkening of the human skins has been the primary focus of many researchers,

geneticists, and anthropologists over many years. The global distribution of human skin color is

highly associated with the intensity of ultraviolet radiation. As such, in regions with high

irradiation, the darker colors are often favored, while in regions of higher latitudes where there is

lower irradiation, the lighter skins are favored. Therefore, the climatic changes and the variation

in the intensity of the sunlight influence the production of the melanin protective substance

against harmful UV. The human process of evolution is inscribed on the skin. Beyond the

signature of identity, human skin color provides an example of how humans were able to adapt

to varying environments. This was either a means of protection and due to the deficient levels of

vitamin D. skin depigmentation is undoubtedly an adaptive trait under the human process of

evolution. As such, skin pigmentation has a lot to do with the climate and the sun.
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Bibliography

Avise, John C., And Francisco J. Ayala. "Human Skin Pigmentation As An Adaptation To UV

Radiation." In In The Light Of Evolution: Volume IV: The Human Condition. National

Academies Press (US), 2010.

Bonilla, Carolina, Andrew R. Ness, Andrew K. Wills, Debbie A. Lawlor, Sarah J. Lewis, And

George Davey Smith. "Skin Pigmentation, Sun Exposure And Vitamin D Levels In

Children Of The Avon Longitudinal Study Of Parents And Children." BMC Public

Health 14, No. 1 (2014): 1-10.

Brenner, Michaela, And Vincent J. Hearing. "The Protective Role Of Melanin Against UV

Damage In Human Skin." Photochemistry And Photobiology 84, No. 3 (2008): 539-549.

Callender, Valerie D., Sharleen St Surin-Lord, Erica C. Davis, And Marissa Maclin.

"Postinflammatory Hyperpigmentation." American Journal Of Clinical Dermatology 12,

No. 2 (2011): 87-99.

Jablonski, Nina G., And George Chaplin. "Human Skin Pigmentation As An Adaptation To UV

Radiation." Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences 107, No. Supplement 2

(2010): 8962-8968.

López, Saioa, And Santos Alonso. "Evolution Of Skin Pigmentation Differences In

Humans." Els (2014).

Mystery, Unsolved. "What Controls Variation in Human Skin Color?."

Parra, E. J. (2007). Human Pigmentation Variation: Evolution, Genetic Basis, And Implications

For Public Health. American Journal Of Physical Anthropology: The Official Publication

Of The American Association Of Physical Anthropologists, 134(S45), 85-105.

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Sturm, Richard A. "Molecular genetics of human pigmentation diversity." Human molecular

genetics 18, no. R1 (2009): R9-R17.

The University Of Pennsylvania. "Genes Responsible For Diversity Of Human Skin Colors

Identified." Science Daily, 2017.

Https://Www.Sciencedaily.Com/Releases/2017/10/171012143324.Htm.