PIXABAY, STOCKSNAPA genome-wide association study published today (October 12) in Science has revealed several genetic variants associated with skin color in African populations.
Despite the emphasis that humans have placed on skin color throughout history, little is known about its genetic basis. As The New York Times reports, most of what scientists knew of skin-color genetics came from studies of European populations, which found that mutations in the gene SLC24A5 caused cells to make less pigment, resulting in paler skin. Most Europeans have the same variant for that gene.
That “gives you a very incomplete perspective,” University of Pennsylvania geneticist Sarah Tishkoff, who led the new work, tells The Atlantic.
To learn more about the genetics of skin color, Tishkoff and her collaborators went to Africa, where skin color varies widely. “Africa is not some homogenous [sic] place where everyone has dark skin,” Tishkoff tells The Atlantic. “There’s ...
