ZME Science reports:

The textbook assumption is that when the first modern humans arrived in Europe, around 45,000 years ago, they quickly evolved pale skin to adapt to the region’s dimmer sunlight relative to Africa. The logic seemed straightforward: lighter skin allows more ultraviolet light to penetrate, helping the body produce vitamin D, a nutrient essential for human health.

However, a study of ancient DNA challenges this long-held assumption. By analyzing the genomes of 348 individuals who lived between 45,000 and 1,700 years ago, researchers have uncovered a surprising truth for some: for most of Europe’s history, the majority of its inhabitants had dark skin. Only around 3,000 years ago did lighter skin tones become dominant.

Skin color is one of the most visible traits in humans, but its evolution has been shrouded in mystery. Early humans in Africa likely had dark skin, which protected them from the intense ultraviolet (UV) radiation of the equator. As humans migrated north into Europe and Asia through the Levant, where UV levels were lower, lighter skin became advantageous. This allowed for more efficient production of vitamin D.

But the new study reveals that this transition was anything but straightforward. Even well into the Copper and Iron Ages, around 5,000 to 3,000 years ago, half of the individuals analyzed still had dark or intermediate skin tones. [Continue reading…]