A question about human evolution.

[chorba]

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[danot]

Lets forget the North for the time being...scenario: Man evolves in Africa...he's White. Are you suggesting we come up with a hypothesis as to why he's White when the present template says he should be Black? It can't be done unless there's a precedent we can work from.

I'm not quite sure what you're saying here. As I see it, the precedent you're looking for would have been the evolutionary process which caused one race to develop into the multiple races there are now.

[danot]

First off I don't think there is such as thing as "the physical appearance of black people" beyond skin colour, 'black is a vague term which encompasses a vast, enormously varied range of humanity.

Of course there's a physical appearance of black people. My father is black, my mother is white, as is my partner. Our youngest daughter has white skin, blonde hair and blue eyes, just like her mother, but you only have to look at her facial features to know she's of black origin. Granted, her kids may not necessarily inherit her features if their father is white, then again, they could inherit my fathers features, hair and skin tone.

 

Posted by plekhanov

Looking at skin colour alone (which is the only factor uniting 'black people') the white group in the hot and sunny area would certainly have a much darker skin colour after 100,000 years (which iirc is longer than the time it took for all of humanity once it left Africa to evolve).

 

It is far from guaranteed that the black group in the cold area would end up "white" as in Northern European in skin colour though. If you think about it most peoples in temperate to cold climates such as Eskimos, the Japanese, far south Americans, Mongolians, Siberians... are not "white". So far as I'm aware the best thinking about how 'whiteness' evolved, is that it was an adaptation to the extremely poor diet endured by those living in northern western europe during the recent iceage, this meant they evolved next to no melanin to get as much Vitamin B12 as possible. As such you'd expect the 2nd groups skin colour to lighten a great deal but not to become 'white'.

That's a fair point. I suppose vitamin deficiency due to particular diets would have had an affect on our physical attributes also.

[skinz]

I'm not quite sure what you're saying here. As I see it, the precedent you're looking for would have been the evolutionary process which caused one race to develop into the multiple races there are now.

 

 

So we don't have to use your two hypothesis..we just need to turn present singular evolutionary process on its head. For you to pose the question you must have some idea of how that could be achieved? Or is it simple as "What if Whites were Black and vise verse. If we could solve your riddle of the one you've solved the riddle of the other.

[danot]

So we don't have to use your two hypothesis..we just need to turn present singular evolutionary process on its head. For you to pose the question you must have some idea of how that could be achieved? Or is it simple as "What if Whites were Black and vise verse. If we could solve your riddle of the one you've solved the riddle of the other.

Yes, you could just as easily use one hypothesis only. If it pleases you we can do that.

 

As for me having an idea of how it would be achieved, I suppose I would expect it to be as simple as turning the evolutionary process on it's head.

[skinz]

Yes, you could just as easily use one hypothesis only. If it pleases you we can do that.

 

As for me having an idea of how it would be achieved, I suppose I would expect it to be as simple as turning the evolutionary process on it's head.

 

 

So in reality it's a topic without substance, but a "let's play a game" thread?

[Mecky]

Why do orientals have have almond eyes yet blacks don't, don't they both come from hot countries?

[barleycorn]

Why do orientals have have almond eyes yet blacks don't, don't they both come from hot countries?

 

Isolation of discrete populations exposed to different environments will over time lead to the evolution of differing characteristics through the process of mutation and natural selection.

 

jb

 

ETA: I assume you are referring to the epicanthal fold which likely developed as protection against cold and windy conditions prevalent in northern Asia. So er, nothing to do with coming from hot countries.

[danot]

So in reality it's a topic without substance, but a "let's play a game" thread?

Not at all. I feel it's a topic that's worthy of debate, whether you disagree with that isn't really the issue is it. After all, there are plenty of other threads that you could be contributing to if you feel that this one has no substance.

[skinz]

Not at all. I feel it's a topic that's worthy of debate, whether you disagree with that isn't really the issue is it. After all, there are plenty of other threads that you could be contributing to if you feel that this one has no substance.

 

Ok...we've magically turned evolution on its head and created a negative. Black is White and White is Black.

 

Now what?