1) What was most interesting to you in reviewing these resources?
The first thing that caught my attention was how early scientists on human and animal evolution did not see a relationship between UV exposure and skin pigmentation. In Dr. Jablonski’s TED Talk, she mentions how Darwin had initially argued that the local climate did not have an impact on the skin color of the people of that region. This is a concept that, especially after seeing the spread of UV exposure across the entire planet, seems like common sense. It feels only natural that a person’s skin pigmentation would be drastically impacted by their exposure to sunlight.
2) What did you learn from these resources about the evolution of skin color?
One thing I learned is that, even now, skin color can darken or lighten based on the part of the world in which you live in. I would have thought that our skin color is mostly constant nowadays, but now it seems clear that skin color is constantly changing as humans relocate across the globe. For example, if you are naturally pale, but you decide to move to a country closer to the equator, your skin will darken over time, darkening the skin color of your future children as a result.
3) What do these resources tell you about the types of people that do science?
I have learned that many scientists in our society are molded by early childhood
experiences. Dr. Nina Jablonski had originally shown a fascination for fossils and animal history, but this changed after she started watching documentaries on human biology on National Geographics. This formed an even greater interest in human evolution that ended up shaping her entire career.
4) What new questions do you have after learning about Dr. Jablonski’s research and how human skin color evolved?
I am curious how UV exposure affects future generations. Children with parents of two different ethnicities often display a skin pigmentation that is a mix of both parents. However, if skin color is a result of our skin producing more or less melanin, how does that affect our DNA to the point where our kids end up displaying a mixed skin color?