Human Skin Color   Term Paper ID:45980 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Considers the variation of skin color in humans. ... More...

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Paper Introduction: Variation of Human Skin Color Introduction Skin color can vary from individual to individual and across groupsof people that are otherwise considered one race Even the concept ofrace itself stems from variation in skin color more than eye color or haircolor height or other physical characteristics Yet variation in skincolor has been used as the basis for discrimination and even enslavement asthose with a particular pigmentation have used that pigmentation to suggestmoral and even racial superiority Recently however research has calledinto question Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. However, there are also drawbacks to blocking UV rays inthat UV rays increase production of vitamin D, and while darker pigmentedindividuals in the tropics are still able to process sufficient amounts ofvitamin D, that dark pigmentation would inhibit vitamin D absorptionfarther north. This giveslight-pigmented individuals the advantage in these zones, and accounts forthe differences in skin pigmentation. Phi Delta Kappan, pp. 74-81.Mukhopadhyay, C., & Henze, R. Chimpanzees, the primate to which humans are mostclosely related, have pink skin under their hair, and it is thought thathumans developed skin pigmentation after they lost their hair. (Jablonski & Chaplin, 2 2). This research considers recent developments in this field. Bracesuggests using geographic descriptors, such as West African or NorthernEuropean as these provide greater information about the differences inpopulation that pigmentation-based racial categories (Bower, 1991). Researchers are also taking issue with the long-held idea thatcategorizing individuals by their race has been a part of human history.Rather, research suggests that this is a relatively new phenomenon thatstarted as recently as the 15 s and which misinterpreted the work ofCharles Darwin in order to bolster support for the idea that there aredistinct biological races and race-based identities (Hirschman, 2 4). Thesescientists maintain that race has its roots not in biological science, butin the needs of social and political groups to seek to quantify differencesamong races that make it easier to subjugate entire populations(Mukhopadhyay & Henze, 2 3). It has longbeen postulated that humans living in tropic zones have dark pigmentationin response to the increased UV light that increases lighter skinnedpropensity to skin cancer. C. (2 4, September). The origins and demise of the concept of race. The legitimacy of race itself is increasingly questioned asanthropologists and others reject the idea that contemporary humans can bedivided into scientifically valid biological groupings, even when thosegroupings are limited to three: Caucasoid, Negroid and Mongoloid. Race falls from grace. Science News, 14 , p. ReferencesBower, B. 38 .Hirschman, C. Yet variation in skincolor has been used as the basis for discrimination and even enslavement asthose with a particular pigmentation have used that pigmentation to suggestmoral and even racial superiority. How real is race? Darkly pigmented individuals are able to blocksignificant amounts of UV light while still managing to synthesize vitaminD and without significant folate deficiency resulting. Recently, however, research has calledinto question the reason that there is significant difference in skinpigmentation among humans, and the concept of race itself has been calledinto question. Recent advances in nutrition coupledwith migration across UV zones means that skin pigmentation is likely tobecome less important in the future, at least from a biological standpoint. In the northernmost areas where there are humanpopulations, there is barely sufficient sunlight for even lighter skinnedindividuals to synthesize vitamin D (Jablonski & Chaplin, 2 2). More recently, researchers have recognized the role that UV rays playin relation to folate deficiency, or a lack of folic acid. (2 3, May). Population and Development Review, 3 , pp. (2 2, October). Analysis Humans are alone among the primates to have significant differences intheir skin pigmentation. (1991, December 7). Increasingly, though, one of theprime determinants of traditional race-that of skin color-has been shown tobe a biologic reaction to the about of UV rays present in a givengeographic location. Folatedeficiency can have a devastating effect on developing fetuses, and someresearchers have begun to postulate that this folate deficiency coupledwith skin cancer may explain the darker pigmentation among humans locatedin the tropics. Loring Brace is perhaps the most well-known of those seeking toabandon traditional racial categories, and his work dates back to the 196 sand 197 s. Conclusion Although the concept of race has largely been abandoned byanthropologists and other scientists, it persists as a social construct.It is used as part of the census, and it has been used historically toraise one "race" as superior to another. 669-678. Variation of Human Skin Color Introduction Skin color can vary from individual to individual, and across groupsof people that are otherwise considered one "race." Even the concept ofrace itself stems from variation in skin color, more than eye color or haircolor, height, or other physical characteristics. 385-416.Jablonski, N. Skin deep. C. Brace argues that common racial characteristics, including skinpigmentation, change in response to environmental conditions and as such,provide little clue to anatomical differences among populations. G., & Chaplin, G. Scientific American, pp. By blocking harmful UV rays, the darkpigmentation serves as a natural barrier to harmful and even fatal skincancers. As theseindividuals move out of the tropics, however, their ability to block UVrays becomes a hindrance as fewer UV rays reach the earth. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.