The conventional belief that light skin evolved as humans migrated north out of Africa has been widely accepted for many years. However, recent research suggests that the origin of light skin may be more closely tied to the advent of agriculture rather than merely the result of migrating to higher latitudes. This shift in understanding revolves around the crucial role of vitamin D and dietary changes, such as a shift from a diet rich in animal-based foods to one reliant on cereal crops prompted by agricultural practices.
Read MoreEvolution takes place because we successfully adapt to changes in our environments over vast amounts of time, leading to the false belief that evolution occurs only when the environmental change is stable over time so that the adaptive changes can take hold and the species can flourish. After all, if the adaptative pressure goes in one direction and then reverses course, the adaptive changes might never happen or become maladaptive and cause extinction. But the climatic record during human evolution has been extremely variable, especially in the recent past, so it does not support the idea that environmental stability produced our adaptation. This post will discuss the accepted definition of ice ages, glaciations, interglacials, and their effect on human evolution.
Read MoreToday I want to clarify a few misconceptions about how science classifies and describes the diets of animals, where we fit into the diet picture, and our evolutionary journey here. Interestingly, most omnivores specialize by being either closer to being almost entirely herbivorous or carnivorous. You may be surprised to see where we fall in the spectrum.
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