Evolution of skin color

[Siemowit]

I would like to ask you a question about the evolution of skin color.

My friend claimed that black people would become white after 10 generations if they lived in Europe (without racial mixing). Is it true ?

I thought that evolution works slower. How long would it take them to evolve from black skin to white skin ?

[mith]

You should ask more about selection.

[Siemowit]

It seems that nobody knows the answer to my question. I have asked many people on internet (also scientists) and the only answer was when skin color probably evolved.

I would like to know how long would take that evolution. 1000 of years or rather tens thousands of years ?

[Siemowit]

Or maybe 10 generations ?

[Darby]

As mentioned above, the change rate is dependent on the power of the selection. With Vitamin D supplements available, there may be no real selection (although there are other factors at work).

[mith]

I mean it makes no sense to refer to number of generations...for instance if you had bacteria, one generation is like 20billion individuals--hey can have a lot more variations than say 1000 humans. Secondly, if you had no selection factor, why would you adapt in a particular direction? Let's say that being whiter wasn't harmful but not beneficial, eventually you'd be less tan...but compare that to if being white was the difference between life and death. (for the sake of this argument we assume that skin color is being carried on a couple of melanin genes).

[alextemplet]

How much of skin color is genetic? Could it also have to do with diet?

[mcar]

In Darwin's Origin of Species, there's a part there that even food preferences could possibly be a factor to cause variation in the skin color of an animal.

[alextemplet]

Exactly; that's why flamingos are pink.

[pankaaj]

i guess, We dont know what really affects skin colour in humans.So selection on what basis?
And why?
In human community, many factors are involved in selection like intellectual powers, way of thinking, social and economical status etc.
Skin colour is negligible, a character in selection!

I would like to ask you a question about the evolution of skin color.

My friend claimed that black people would become white after 10 generations if they lived in Europe (without racial mixing). Is it true ?

I thought that evolution works slower. How long would it take them to evolve from black skin to white skin ?