If man evolved from apes, why do people from hot countries have different colour skin?
437947
"The fact that we are descended from ape-like ancestors over the last few millions years does not carry the slightest implication that we should all look the same: just the reverse, in fact. I have no idea why you think skin colour ought to match on the same latitudes. There is a huge variety in skin colour in Africa. There is no one African skin colour: Africa encompasses more human diversity than anywhere else in the world." 1\n\n& this\n\n"The claim that there are many different skin colors in the world is not altogether accurate. The apparent differences in color are merely differences in the amount of the melanin found in the skin, not differences in the type of color. There is only one coloring agent for the human race; the shade of color simply depends upon how much melanin is present." 2\n\n& Go here for more info\n\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skin_color\n\n& Go here for good reading on evolution\n\nhttp://www.talkorigins.org/origins/faqs-mustread.html\nhttp://www.talkorigins.org/origins/faqs-evolution.html\nhttp://www.talkorigins.org/origins/faqs-creationists.html
824929
It doesn't make sense to say the oldest person found was "caucasoid" because racial differences didn't start to appear before people migrated to different continents. The colour of the skin of the oldest humans I doubt if scientists could ever determine because all they have is bones. I really don't see why it matters what colour their skin was. Probably dark because they had to survive in the hot sun. There is absolutely no dispute that humans began in Africa.
262115
Too many to state all of them. As a species we started out somewhere in the African savannahs and moved from there all over the globe. All the different modern sub-groups with all their different attributes come from the same ancestors. \nWhat changed on that trip? Skin color for starters. Hair structure. Lactose-tolerance. And so on. \nI am sure you can think of more yourself.
398495
i think ur talking about skin pigmentations, in humans, melanin is what gives us our skin color.
587229
Adaptation, climate and geography.\nLighter skin, more hair = Colder climates\nDarker skin, less hair = tropics\nDarker skin, hair = Desert\nCalculate in thousands of generations and you have a race.\n\nSilly folk think it's because a huge tower was built to reach God, but God was scared of being found, so he knocked it down. Think they call it "Scrabble", or "Babel" or something like that.
1097944
According to current theories of macroevolution, humans did not descend from apes, monkeys, or any other species currently in existence.  A large amount of research (genetic comparisons, fossil record, comparative taxonomy, etc.) suggests that humans and modern apes had ancestors in common.  \n\nOf course, we would probably consider those common ancestors to be more like apes than humans.  (Perhaps apes would consider them to be more like us?)  This is not unexpected.  Different members of a species can and do differentiate along different paths.  Some paths are pretty straight: they don't change much over time.  Some paths wind all over the place.  The paths that survive are those that are best adapted to survive in their particular environment.  Humans are so successful as a species because we've developed the capacity to adapt to almost any environment on Earth.  That's evolution!\n\nIf you want to learn more, check out the link below!
727845
Why do humans have different races? If they arent meant to co-exist than their should be one race of humans since we all evolved due to the enviroment they were inhabiting.
487791
No, because we would still be all different colors and have different cultures.
2465
AFRICAN AMERICANS ARE BLACK BEACUE THE HAVE A GREAT DEAL OF A CHEMICAL CALLED MELANIN BUILT UP INTO THEIR SKIN. THIS CHEMICAL CAUSES THE SKIN TO BE RESISTANT TO THE ULTRA VIOLET RAYS OF THE SUN; OR IN OTHER WORDS SO THEY CAN STAY IN THE SUN LONGER AND BE MORE RESISTANT TO BURNING. THIS IS THE SAME CHEMICAL THAT CAUSES YOU TO BROWN AFTER TANNING. IT IS A GENETIC TRAIT THAT ADAPTED LONG AGO SO THAT THEY COULD SURVIVE AND BE HAPPIER ON THE HOT VERY, VERY SUNNY AFRICAN PLAINS.\n\nASIANS HAVE EYES THAT HAVE A SMALL FLAP OF SKIN AT THE SIDES OF THEIR EYES THAT GIVES THEM A LONGER SLIGHTLY SLANTED APPEARANCE. THIS IS MERELY A GENETIC TRAIT THAT THAT PARTICULAR GROUP OF PEOPLE SHARES. THERE IS NO FUNCTION TFOR IT.
2015
Given today's atmosphere (socio-economic, not the sky), it is not possible.\n\nLook to Darwin to see WHY species differentiated.\nOne reason is they change to better thrive in their surroundings.  We humans tend to alter our surroundings to more fit us.\nAnother reason is physical barrier (and then go back to number one), so two populations evolve differently...due to their different surroundings.  The only problem is that I live next door to an Italian, an American Indian (1/8), and a Pakistani.  World travel is a thing of relative ease.  Breeding is so intermixed between populations that you will not have a barrier-method break to help evolution.\n\nIn summary, I believe we will not become different species of human.
1184074
i believe in evolution, and yes whites did come from blacks. think about this everybody agrees that the human race started in africa right. that means our pigment was damaged witch causes skin color. as we go to places like euorpe our pigment get less damaged so they repair and get lighter. thats how white people get tanned. im white bye the way. your pretty smart not one of my teachers would try to think about it. bye
268687
From a planet called Earth.\n\nBy the way, most human beings have been black- or dark brown-skinned for most of human history.  Genetic studies indicate that to produce a white-skinned person, for example, takes about fifteen thousand years in a colder and more importantly lower-light-intensity climactic zone.\n\nThe real question is "from what planet came on the Earth" racially bigoted persons with a disordered sense of prepositional syntax.  I'm guessing from Uranus.
76008
There was a time when people were hunter-gatherers and lived a nomadic lifestyle.  Because of this, the population spread throughout the world.  Over time, peoples' skin colors changed to adapt to the amount and intensity of the sun where they lived.   For example, people closer to the equator developed darker skin because they got a lot of sunlight and people closer to the poles developed lighter skin because they got a lot less sunlight.  That's why people have different skin colors.  \n\nWhy do people marry when we are really all distant relatives?  Well, if the Biblical accounts are to be accepted, the simple truth is that we do marry our far-distant relatives.  In fact, in the South, when a person marries, one of the questions on the marriage application is, "are you related by blood?".  It is not uncommon in that area of the country, and is allowed by law, for second cousins to marry.
971103
You've got a few misconceptions there.  I'm going to assume you are really asking a question and not just fishing for agreement, so I'll try and straighten them out.\n\nFirst of all, IF man evolved from other primates, it would be more proper to say that mankind arose from -A- primate.  To draw an analogy, if you build a house out of lumber from trees, it doesn't mean there are no trees left in the world... only the trees you used to make your house are gone.  So it is perfectly plausible for monkeys to still be around even though something else might have evolved from them.  Populations become isolated and develop different traits all the time - try comparing someone from China, Iceland, and Africa some time.\n\nSecondly, I don't suspect any evolutionist would say that man evolved from monkeys.  Instead they would suggest that they had a common ancestor, and both man AND monkeys are different from that ancestor, just in different ways.\n\nAnd last is the question of transition.  And transition implies you're going somewhere.  Since none of us know what life will be like a hundred million years from now, it may very well be appropriate to say that EVERYTHING now is in a state of transition from what it used to be from what it will be.  Looking for 'half-fins' and the like is a straw-man argument, though there is certainly no dearth of vestigal organs and DNA around in most species, if you only look for it.\n\nI respect your desire to dispute the validity of evolution.  Most true scientists WELCOME having their theories challenged - it can only make them stronger and get rid of bad ones.  But if you're going to tilt at a windmill, make sure your lance is pointed in the right direction!
792868
that's a unique question... but Man started off in Africa, but migrated to the rest of the Earth.  When they got to Europe, the climate and environment changed the appearance of the Original man.   Why would you even want to know "how long did it take for people to change" ??  how would that help you?  why don't you ask why the Europeans would historically think they are better than Asians, Native Americans, and Africans in the world?  Or why any race would think they are superior and almost kill off a race and take --to that same land,--  another race they feel superior to?  Or ask why some white people hate the fact that their ancestors are from the continent they despise so much. damn, I got way off subject..
442866
Some Dude gave a great answer-I would add, just for interest, that the human race has exceedingly little genetic variation compared to other animals.  A recent study showed that an average-sized chimpanzee colony has more genetic variation that the entire human race.  This is presumably because at some point in the recent past (150-200,000 years) our common ancestors existed, and evidently our race must have been very close to going extinct, leaving a very small pool of humans with which to populate the Earth.
626058
Since it is believed that people are originally from Africa, dark colored skin would have been the norm.  However, as people migrated north they weren't getting as much sun because they had to cover up to keep warm.  However, black people who get very little sun develope vitamin D deficiency because your body requires sunlight to make the last step of the synthesis go.  So, their skin needed to let more light in and it was beneficial to them to evolve lighter colored skin.  \nHave you noticed (part of it is interbreeding with white people, of course) that American blacks, who have been in the US about 200 years, are not nearly as dark black as native Africans anymore?