off topic

[Anteroinen]

Which doesn't change the fact, that dark skin is colored.
But anyway, is it really so important? We're all humans after all.

That goes without saying, the point was that the "normal" – original more properly – skin colour wasn't white. It is merely a fact, which means nothing by itself. It is an interesting genetic tidbit, in a discussion about mutations and human skin colour, not a discussion about the validity of racism (which I'd rather not have for everybody here hopefully agrees that racism is wrong and silly).

[The Kakama]

That goes without saying, the point was that the "normal" – original more properly – skin colour wasn't white. It is merely a fact, which means nothing by itself. It is an interesting genetic tidbit, in a discussion about mutations and human skin colour, not a discussion about the validity of racism (which I'd rather not have for everybody here hopefully agrees that racism is wrong and silly).

Good point, the first peoples came from Africa, not Europe.
But yeah, this isn't really about racism, just a related topic.

[borys610]

Ok so...
If you have canvas with some paint on it - it is painted.
If you scratch the paint off - it's clear.

So even if the first state was "normal", the first one was painted, not the second one.

[Anteroinen]

Dude, neither black nor white are colours (technically atleast) and you could paint a black canvas white just as well.

[Vortex]

Ok so...
If you have canvas with some paint on it - it is painted.
If you scratch the paint off - it's clear.

So even if the first state was "normal", the first one was painted, not the second one.

But white people still have some melanin. The "unpainted" state would be albinism, so your analogy breaks off there.

EDIT:

Dude, neither black nor white are colours (technically atleast)

Why not? They're not spectral colors, but I'd say they still are colors.

you could paint a black canvas white just as well.

True. But there is no white melanin afaik

[borys610]

I think that pure black isn't color, just complete lack of color. No light returning to eyes.
But anyway like I said, this was just kind of joke, before we started disusing it. Like I said true reason why we are "normal" and they are "colored" is because we invented the names.
If people from Africa made a big empires and conquered Europe, they would probably call us "colored".

[Vortex]

I think that pure black isn't color, just complete lack of color. No light returning to eyes.

Colors are perceptions of the human mind. If you removed your visual cortex, you wouldn't experience black color, just like you wouldn't experience any other color, despite having functional eyes.

But anyway like I said, this was just kind of joke, before we started disusing it. Like I said true reason why we are "normal" and they are "colored" is because we invented the names.
If people from Africa made a big empires and conquered Europe, they would probably call us "colored".

Yeah, everyone can find a way to feel superior to the others (example).

[WorldisQuiet5256]

Really, when I see that Cover...
It makes me think of the AniMatrix Episode The Second Renaissance.

Cover said it all.

[ENIHCAMBUS]

melenin actually protects from dangerous UV radiation. So black people are strong to UV. BTW the first humans came from africa. When they spread over the world they lost some melanin in some places, but come with new adaptation to they respective places. The normal skin colour is a shade of pink usually seen on furry mammals, it countains the most averege count of melanin, the fact is that they are protected from radiation thanks to they own fur. See the lion, it lives in Africa, but its skin its not black, since is protected by fur. Humans have no longer fur (because of the ability of creating clothes), so they mutated with more melanin, but now they are losing it again. White people has still melanin but in the near future maybe will disappear. also, albines (and many white colored animals) actually have transparent skin, the reason that they look white is that they reflect the white color of the adipose texture behind the skin. Also albinism affects every animal. Back to white people: other strange example of its melanin deficit its that they fur has a variety of melanin that actually don't protect from UV radiation, but ads color (various shades brown and blond), maybe for stetic porpuses.

Makes me wonder: There is a point in the evolution where a species becomes to smart to sacrifice every gene that adapt it to a specific ecosystem/climate and change it with a powerfull brain that uses science and technology as unique means of adaptation for those ecosystems/climates.

[Babylon]

Actually, some interesting scientific evidence has come up recently (Last 5 years or so) that casts some doubt on the out of Africa evolution theory.
Here are my sources:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/ ... n-man.html
Daily mail article detailing the discovery of supposed human teeth older than any remains found in Africa.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news ... ation.html
National Geographic article about early human remains found in Asia.
Personally, I still think the African theory holds water, but it's an interesting idea to consider.