Question:
Why skin color seems wrong?
tannum2000
2006-11-29 09:44:34 UTC
Theoretical Idea. Dark colors attract heat and light colors reflect heat, why do do people get darker in more Tropical and not lighter. I know the reason but seems nature went backwards. Wouldnt you want to get darker with less light to stay warmer and lighter in hotter regions to stay cooler? Hope that was understandable.
Eight answers:
Quicksilver
2006-11-29 12:43:04 UTC
I see what you're saying. I've thought the same thing. If you have light skin, you'll stay cooler in the hot climate than if you had darker skin, so why would you want to get your skin darker if you'd only feel hotter the darker you got? Right?



Therefore if evolution were really working like it should, people who live up in colder climates like Norway and Sweden would have dark skin to absorb the most of the sun's rays and stay warmer and the people down in Africa would have lighter skin to repel most of sun's rays to keep them cooler.



Seems like that would make sense to me.
2006-11-29 19:24:36 UTC
While the color of your skin might affect body temperature, it does not get darker and lighter as a means to do that; it just happens to be a side-effect. The reason it gets darker is to protect the skin cells from the rays of the sun. Light rays, that is, not HEAT rays.





two points!

sincerely, not bono
Gypsy Girl
2006-11-29 14:21:50 UTC
It's an interesting idea, however, skin does not regulate body temperature, it protects the internal organs from the environment. So, dark skin offers more protection from the sun, therefore, it makes sense that dark skinned people would be where there is more sun. Because there is more sun, people need more protection.
morequestions
2006-11-29 09:53:24 UTC
the color is caused by melanin which protects the skin from sun damage so lighter skin has less melanin and consequently, less protection against sun damage. the color of skin doesn't affect body temperature.
embai@sbcglobal.net
2006-11-29 11:00:09 UTC
i understand but i think its because skin color doesn't affect temperature.
Lottalove
2006-11-30 21:35:57 UTC
that's an interesting perspective
2006-11-29 09:51:47 UTC
invisible is not right
~Peace~N~Love~
2006-11-29 09:51:37 UTC
what the fudge ?


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