This film explores the hypothesis that the variations in human skin color arose as adaptations to the intensity of ultraviolet (UV) radiation in different parts of the world.

Our human ancestors in Africa likely had dark skin, which is produced by an abundance of the pigment eumelanin in skin cells. In the high-ultraviolet environment of sub-Saharan (or equatorial) Africa, darker skin protects against the damaging effects of UV radiation. In this film, anthropologist Nina Jablonski explains that the variation in skin color that evolved since our human ancestors migrated out of Africa can be explained by the trade-off between protection from UV and the need for some UV absorption for the production of vitamin D.

The original version of the film, without the embedded questions, is available to stream or download at https://www.biointeractive.org/classroom-resources/biology-skin-color

Version 2.3
Updated on 08/11/20