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Vitamin D and the Lung pp 25–37Cite as

Perspective: Evolution of Human Skin Color: How Low Levels of Vitamin D Drove Natural Selection

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Part of the book series: Respiratory Medicine ((RM,volume 3))

Abstract

Human origins have been traced to Africa, near the equator, approximately 150,000 years ago. Humans migrated out of Africa in waves and moved northward into Europe. As humans moved away from the equator, their exposure to sunlight diminished, particularly in the winter months. This decrease in sun exposure at higher latitudes led to reduced levels of vitamin D. Reduced vitamin D levels led to infertility and reproductive inefficiency which fueled natural selection to lighten human skin color to restore normal fertility and preserve the species. A selection signature for skin color, the strongest signature identified in the human genome, has been identified, although a similar signature has not been identified for higher circulating levels of vitamin D. These genomic signatures are still present in the human genome, reflecting ongoing, wide spread, deficiencies of vitamin D in human populations and the continued reduced exposure to sunlight for most humans, particularly in Westernized urban countries.

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  1. Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Scott T. Weiss

  2. Channing Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    Scott T. Weiss

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  1. Channing Laboratory, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Wome, 181 Longwood Avenue, Boston, 02115, Massachusetts, USA

    Augusto A. Litonjua

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Weiss, S.T. (2012). Perspective: Evolution of Human Skin Color: How Low Levels of Vitamin D Drove Natural Selection. In: Litonjua, A. (eds) Vitamin D and the Lung. Respiratory Medicine, vol 3. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61779-888-7_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61779-888-7_2

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