Genetic Study Reveals Evolution of European Skin Color
Recent genetic research has unveiled that early Europeans predominantly had dark skin, hair, and eyes until about 3,000 years ago. This study indicates that lighter pigmentation became more common during the Iron Age, despite the genetic markers for lighter features appearing as early as 14,000 years ago. The findings suggest that lighter skin may have offered advantages in vitamin D production in regions with limited sunlight. The research involved a comprehensive analysis of ancient DNA from archaeological sites across Europe and parts of Asia.
Pigmentation Variations Over Time
A groundbreaking study published on the preprint server bioRxiv examined genetic material from 348 ancient individuals, with samples dating back as far as 45,000 years. Among these, the Ust’-Ishim individual from western Siberia, discovered in 2008, represents the oldest sample. Another significant genome came from the SF12 individual, who lived in Sweden approximately 9,000 years ago. Despite the degradation of many samples, researchers employed probabilistic phenotype inference and the HIrisPlex-S system to reconstruct pigmentation patterns effectively.
Silvia Ghirotto, a geneticist at the University of Ferrara and the study’s senior author, noted that while lighter skin, hair, and eyes emerged sporadically over time, dark pigmentation remained dominant in various parts of Europe well into the Copper Age. In fact, some regions continued to exhibit a prevalence of darker traits until the Iron Age, indicating a slow transition in pigmentation across the continent.
Emergence of Lighter Features
The study revealed that lighter eye colors began to appear between 14,000 and 4,000 years ago, primarily in Northern and Western Europe. However, individuals with dark skin and dark hair continued to be common during this period. The genes associated with lighter skin emerged in Sweden around the same time but were initially rare among the population.
Carles Lalueza-Fox, a palaeogeneticist at Barcelona’s Institute of Evolutionary Biology, expressed surprise at the study’s findings. He remarked that the persistence of darker pigmentation in certain individuals until the Iron Age was unexpected. While the research outlines the emergence of these genetic traits, the reasons behind their eventual dominance in the population remain unclear, leaving room for further investigation into the evolutionary processes at play.
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