Name: Skin color is an illusion
Uploaded: 2009-07-17T01:00:00Z
Duration: 14 min 28 s
Description: Nina Jablonski says that differing skin colors are simply our bodies' adaptation to varied climates and levels of UV exposure. Charles Darwin disagreed with this theory, but she explains, that's because he did not have access to NASA.

Nina Jablonski says that differing skin colors are simply our bodies' adaptation to varied climates and levels of UV exposure. Charles Darwin disagreed with this theory, but she explains, that's because he did not have access to NASA.

Skin color is an illusion

Human skin color is a direct adaptation to varying levels of ultraviolet radiation across the globe. Early humans in equatorial Africa developed dark pigmentation as a natural sunscreen, while those who migrated north evolved lighter skin to better produce vitamin D in low-UV conditions. This shift has left a visible trail of evolution right on our bodies, a story that technology like NASA satellites now helps illuminate. Social and health consequences persist when people live in places mismatched to their ancestral skin adaptations.