There’s a phenotypic difference but most of the underlying mutations arose in Africa, with the genes producing darker skin phenotypes being selected out over time
This might be technically true but there’s no reason to think it was East Africa. It could have just as easily been South Africa or Central
Going by archaeological samples though, these mutations first became widespread in the Middle East. It’s also possible they may have even originated outside of Africa.
Also I’m talking about a select few light skin mutations that lighten the skin tone by large margins and became widespread in the neolithic, when people got less vitamin D from their diets,
There were other ones which were more minor and present in the paleolithic which probably came from Africa, and were held by European hunter gatherers who were pretty dark skinned (but still almost definitely lighter than Africans)
Genetics
There’s a phenotypic difference but most of the underlying mutations arose in Africa, with the genes producing darker skin phenotypes being selected out over time
This might be technically true but there’s no reason to think it was East Africa. It could have just as easily been South Africa or Central
Going by archaeological samples though, these mutations first became widespread in the Middle East. It’s also possible they may have even originated outside of Africa.
Also I’m talking about a select few light skin mutations that lighten the skin tone by large margins and became widespread in the neolithic, when people got less vitamin D from their diets,
There were other ones which were more minor and present in the paleolithic which probably came from Africa, and were held by European hunter gatherers who were pretty dark skinned (but still almost definitely lighter than Africans)