Race and Human adaptations

 High Levels of Solar Radiation: The sun is one of the most important part of our natural world. It creates light, plants use it for photosynthesis which in turn gives us oxygen, it heats our otherwise cold planet. But like anything, too much of a good thing can have disasterous consequences. While overheating can be an immediate signal that you've been in the sun too long, another, more long term, consequence could be, the acceleration of cosmetic aging, skin cancer, and other consequences. To adapt to this, humans developed a melanin production which is a pigmentation of the skin due to two clines, high UVR and low UVD, thus giving us the spectrum of skin color we see today. 

Faculative adaptation: One way humans have adapted to the suns rays are by tanning. Tanning is an adjustment of phenotype due to an environmental stressed, than returns to its natural state in days, if not a few weeks depending on how severe and continued stressors. To do this the human body increases the number and size of melanin granules, thus making the skin appear darker than normal. Humans have developed this adaptation, alongside permanent darker and lighter skin, as a way to combat the suns rays, but not block it out completely, for some UV rays are good for vitamin D. Though not everyone has the ability to tan. While darker skinned people, those of Sub-Saharan decent, do still have the ability to tan, fair skinned people, those of Norther European decent, do not have this ability and their skin burns and peels. 

Short-Term Adaptation: A short term adaptation would be eye strain. Bright and continual expose to UV light could cause, redness, watering, irritation, and inability to see. These symptoms typically subside once sunglasses, or other light blocking objects, are added, or stepping inside. 

Developmental adaptations: A developmental adaptation to the suns UV rays would be differences is permanent skin pigmentation, such as the dark to light skin spectrum. This allowed people closer to the equator to be able to withstand the suns rays, once humans moved more North, it was not as needed. 

Cultural Adaptations: Some cultural adaptations would be the introduction of clothing, sunscreen, and other accessories such as sunglasses and hats. It could also be said that shelter, such as caves or built accommodations, would also be a cultural factor.

Why does it matter?: The study of clines in this perspective is incredibly useful. We can use it to better help those who need it. Instead of spending the same resources on Skin Cancer Awareness and Prevention around the world we can better allocate resources to those who need it the most. While people with darker skin can still get skin cancer and should have resources for awareness and prevention, they won’t need as many much as somewhere where people are more susceptible. With this you can also use this knowledge to further our own understanding of the subject, and a better understanding feeds into the cycle of Awareness and Prevention. Another reason is that it scientifically proves that lighter skinned people have no inherent differences between someone with darker skin. It proves that humans, no matter the color of their skin, are still human and aren’t inherently superior or inferior to anyone else due to the color of our skin. 

What factors do race play?: Race is a social construct, such as gender, culture, language, money, religion and so many other parts of our life that we view as “normal”. Germans, The Irish, Italians, all of these people would classify, colloquially, as apart of the White Race, though this hasn’t always been the case, did they magically change their race? Democratic Mayoral Candidate Zohar’s Mamdani, who is Ugandan born and left by the age of 7, said that he was African-American on his college application. He was in Africa during some of the most formative years of his life, is he apart of the Black Race? The idea of categorizing people based on their skin tone does not account for the nuances and complexity of human culture. Zohran is undeniably “African-American”, for he is no different from a, what we would call, Black Ugandan born who moved to America by the age of 7. We would call the Black Ugandan “African-American” with no issue, but we would not say Mr. Mamdani is apart of the colloquial Black (African) Race because his phenotype does not fit our social construct of Black. The Irish, Germans, and Italians didn’t change their genes to more fit into the category White, but they were assimilated and folded into the Social Descriptors we use for White. Race has also been seen differently throughout human history. Ancient Rome didn't go by skin tone, but whether you were Roman, apart of the Roman Empire. Race and race science has only been used to separate, individualize, and other ourselves, for in the early 1900’s race was used as a bulwark between White and Black union workers, for it was the excuse for slavery, the holocust, the inequality we see today. All of this, though, is in a Social Context, for race is a Social Construct. So with all of that being said, is there still a scientific use for race? No, the better and more accurate study would be that of clines and genetisim. If we were to use it in a scientific setting, where do we draw the line? Italians are darker than the Irish, but both considered White, do they need the same degree of UV protection? Light skinned and Dark skinned Black people respond differently to the suns rays, do they all need the same degree of UV protection? Race puts us into categorizes that don't take into account the social or scientific nuances of life and if we used Race in science we would be excluding people who don't neatly fall into these ridged and arbitrary categories.