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Biology of Skin Color

The document provides an overview of the short film "The Biology of Skin Color" which discusses the following key points: 1. Variations in human skin color are evolutionary adaptations to differing levels of ultraviolet radiation in different parts of the world. 2. Traits that provide a survival advantage in a particular environment will be passed on more commonly over generations. 3. Evidence from fields like anthropology, genetics, and cell biology can explain how certain traits are beneficial or harmful given an environment.

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205 views

Biology of Skin Color

The document provides an overview of the short film "The Biology of Skin Color" which discusses the following key points: 1. Variations in human skin color are evolutionary adaptations to differing levels of ultraviolet radiation in different parts of the world. 2. Traits that provide a survival advantage in a particular environment will be passed on more commonly over generations. 3. Evidence from fields like anthropology, genetics, and cell biology can explain how certain traits are beneficial or harmful given an environment.

Uploaded by

quirmche70
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Short Film

The Biology of Skin Color Educator Materials



AT A GLANCE GUIDE
DESCRIPTION
In The Biology of Skin Color, Penn State University anthropologist Dr. Nina Jablonski walks us through the
evidence that the different shades of human skin color are evolutionary adaptations to the varying
intensity of ultraviolet radiation in different parts of the world.
KEY CONCEPTS
A. Biological traits are not inherently good or bad. Some traits can provide an advantage to an organism in
certain environments but be a disadvantage in other environments.
B. Inherited traits that provide a survival and reproductive advantage in a particular environment are more likely
to be passed on to the next generation and thus become more common over time.
C. Different human populations living many generations in a particular part of the world may have different
variations in certain traits. In spite of these differences, all humans are very closely related and share most traits.
D. Evidence from different disciplines, such as anthropology, developmental biology, physiology, genetics, and
cell biology, can inform what makes a human trait beneficial or harmful in a particular environment.
E. Variations in genes can lead to differences in biological traits. By studying the DNA sequences of large
numbers of people from different populations, scientists can estimate when and where those variations arose.
F. Evolution involves trade-offs; a change in a gene that results in an adaptation to one aspect of the
environment may be linked to a disadvantage with respect to another aspect of that same environment.
G. Cells in multicellular organisms specialize to meet particular functions in an individual.
H. Molecules in living organisms absorb or reflect certain wavelengths of light from the sun. When a molecule
absorbs light, the energy is transformed into other forms of energy.

CURRICULUM AND TEXTBOOK CONNECTIONS


Curriculum Standards
NGSS (2013) MS-PS4-2, MS-LS1-1, MS-LS1-2, MS-LS4-4
HS-LS3-1, HS-LS4-1, HS-LS4-4
AP (201213) 1A.1, 1.A.2, 1.A.4, 1.C.3, 3.A.1, 3.C.1, 4.C.1, 4.C.2
IB (2016) 1.2, 5.1, 5.2, 6.3
Textbook Chapter Sections
Miller and Levine, Biology (2010 ed.) 14.1, 16.3, 16.4, 17.1, 17.2, 26.3, 32.3
Reece et al., Campbell Biology (AP ed., 9th ed.) 14.3, 17.5, 23.1, 23.3, 23.4

SUGGESTED AUDIENCE
This film is appropriate for science classes from middle school to college. The content connects to key
concepts in biology, human biogeography, genetics, and anatomy and physiology. Chemistry and
biochemistry classes will appreciate mentioning the effects of UV radiation on DNA, folate degradation,
and vitamin D synthesis.

KEY REFERENCE
Jablonski, N. J. Living Color: The Biological and Social Meaning of Skin Color. University of California Press,
2012.

Published September 2015


www.BioInteractive.org

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