Editor's Summary
19 May 2005
Hue and cry
The study of human skin colour can be contentious, but it is a valid area of inquiry and done properly can yield important results. Jared Diamond discusses research that explains skin colour variation in terms of a compromise between the beneficial and harmful effects of ultraviolet radiation. This view goes beyond simpler accounts, yet leaves exceptions that should prompt investigation of other influences.
News and Views: Evolutionary biology: Geography and skin colour
Human skin comes in many different shades. Recent studies of geographical differences in skin colour open up the subject scientifically by offering sophisticated accounts of the basis of this variation.
Jared Diamond
doi: 10.1038/435283a
