White Black

White Black

Why did people evolve to have white/black skin?

I learned that black is the color black because it absorbs all light and reflects none, and white is the color white because it reflects all sun and absorbs none, hence why arabs wear white clothes in the desert. So why is it that people in africa evolved to have black skin and not white? And why do europeans have lighter skin when there is less sun, wouldn't darker skin allow them to absorb more sun for the vitamin d they need? What is wrong with this theory?

Two things to think about, to make this make sense to you.

Ever had a sunburn? Like a lot of good things, our bodies can take in too much sunlight energy, and then it's a bad thing. Sunlight IS energy, just like the heat coming off a fire is energy. If the fire gets too big, it can burn you and cause damage to your body, right? Well, humans can't adjust how big the sun gets, so we evolved to adjust ourselves.

The colors black and white are not the same as the races black and white (which are not absolutes, either, but that's another conversation.) The words you're looking for are "transparent" and "opaque."

People who are called "white" have skin that is more transparent, allowing more sunlight energy to pass through into the cells beneath, because we need some of that energy for processes in our bodies. People who are called "black" have more opaque skin (more melanin) so that they can prevent too much sunlight energy from passing through their skin and damaging their cells.

There's a much more technical way of explaining nutrient processing and solar radiation, but think about it like this and you'll get the idea. The complex part of the human body is inside its skin in the same way you could stand inside your house. If you were cold, you'd go stand in front ot a transparent window to let the sun come through and warm you. If you were hot, you would go stand in front of an opaque wall, so the sun wasn't hitting you directly, right?

The transparent window lets the energy in. The opaque wall stops the energy at the outside of the house. The most transparent-skinned white people developed where there was less intense sunlight, to let as much of it in as possible. The most opaque-skinned black people developed where there was more intense sunlight, to stop too much of it from getting in.

Hope this helps.

How do you like the color of your sand: white, black, or reddish?

How do you like the color of your sand: white, black, or reddish?  You can find all three within sixty miles.  From White Sands National Monument just South of Alamogordo, New Mexico to the Valley of Fires just West of Carrizozo, and Tularosa in between, you can have it all in one day.

White Sands National Monument, about fifteen miles Southwest of Alamogordo, New Mexico on route 70, is a sight worth seeing.  The sand is white because of the gypsum found in the San Andreas Mountains.  The rain washes the gypsum down to Lake Lucero, which is, located on the White Sands Missile Range.  This is off limits to civilians and the park rangers give guided tours periodically.  The heat of the day evaporates the water leaving the dry gypsum.  The wind blows the sand and forms the different types of dunes.  Wildlife survives the in this harsh environment.  Most of it is nocturnal, choosing to remain underground during the heat of the day.  You can see evidence of their moving about with the footprints in the sand.  

Sixty miles to the North are the black lava deposits at The Valley of the Fires Recreation Area.  The lava flowed up through as fissure in the earth at Little Black Peak and flowed South between 1,500 and 5,000 years ago.  A nature trail winds through the lava fields.  For the more adventurous you can hike on the lava flow and even hike to Little Black Peak.  Wear sturdy hiking boots and bring plenty of water.  You are still in the Chihuahua Desert. The lava covers over 125 square miles and reaches a depth of 160 feet.  Flora and fauna abound in the now cooled lava.  Day fees are collected at the gate along with RV and tent camping fees.  The fees help the Bureau of Land Management improve the facilities at the recreation area.

The area around Carrizozo is Billy the Kid territory and the Lincoln County Range Wars in the 1870s.  Before that ancient peoples carved petroglyphs in the lava.  They gave way to the Mescalero Apaches.

Forty miles to the South of Carrizozo and seventeen miles North of Tularosa stand fifty-foot mounds strewn with many rocks.  This site must have had special religious significance to the ancient people who lived in the Tularosa Basin.  They carved over 21,000 drawings onto these rocks.  Mask sunbursts, circles, animal depictions, shaman designs, handprints, and geometric designs.  A one-mile round trip takes you to the cluster of petroglyphs.  A trail guide describes the location of eleven different stops along the way. The trail rises fifty feet and has numerous stairs of rock and earth. The Bureau of Land Management operates the Three Rivers petroglyphs Site.  The daily fees and camping fees help support this unique site.

These rock carvings were made by a group of prehistoric Natives whom archeologists call Jornada Mogollon.  The petroglyphs were made in different ways.  Some were just scratched into the patina of the rocks.  Using two rocks as a hammer and chisel formed others.  The petroglyphs are very fragile and need to be respected.  We do not know why they were made.  But they do sum up a way of life among the people.  They were very religious and had a close connection with nature.  This is left behind in their stunning artwork.

Back to Alamogordo.  Because of all of the missile work done at White Sands and Holloman AFB, Alamogordo has its own space museum.  Not as elaborate as the Space Museum in Hutchinson, Kansas, this one does stand on its own.  It delves into the space station, the shuttle, and early space exploration honoring many men and women who have contributed to the program.  The best exhibit is outside the museum.  It is the Daisy track decelerator, which tested to G force of sudden deceleration.  Fascinating!

About the Author

John and Maggie Pelley are Geriatric Gypsies. Both of us are retired from the rat race of working. We are full-time RVers, who ran away from home. We began our travels on the East Coast and, like the migrating birds, seek the warmth of the seasons. No more shoveling snow in Chicago. We have discovered volunteering with the National Park System. During our travels we have found that each town has a story to tell: some are more interesting than others. Both of us enjoy good listening music as we go. John has a CD he has recorded of Native American flure music. We have learned that RVing has a learning curve. We want to pass on some advice the help others avoid this trecherous curve. Life is an adventure. We are living it to the utmost.

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