By Infinite Mind
Ancient DNA research identifies a major phase of pigmentation-related genetic change in Europe between approximately 8,000 and 4,000 years ago.
Research published in Nature found that:
The light-associated allele of SLC24A5 became widespread in Europe during the Neolithic period (~8,000 years ago).
The light-associated allele of SLC45A2 rose sharply during the Bronze Age (~5,000–4,000 years ago).
Additional peer-reviewed studies support this same timeframe:
Mesolithic European hunter-gatherers lacked key light-skin alleles common in modern Europeans, indicating later increases in frequency.
Strong positive selection on pigmentation genes occurred within the last 5,000 years.
Light skin in Europeans evolved relatively recently through specific genetic variants, particularly in SLC24A5.
Together, these studies place the 6,000-year mark within the documented window of significant pigmentation-associated genetic shifts in Europe.
Sources
Mathieson, I. et al. (2015). Genome-wide patterns of selection in 230 ancient Eurasians. Nature, 528, 499–503.
https://www.nature.com/articles/nature16152�
Olalde, I. et al. (2014). Derived immune and ancestral pigmentation alleles in a 7,000-year-old Mesolithic European. Nature, 507, 225–228.
https://www.nature.com/articles/nature12960�
Wilde, S. et al. (2014). Direct evidence for positive selection of skin, hair, and eye pigmentation in Europeans during the last 5,000 years. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(13), 4832–4837.
https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1316513111�
Norton, H. L. et al. (2007). Genetic evidence for the convergent evolution of light skin in Europeans and East Asians. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 24(3), 710–722.
https://academic.oup.com/mbe/article/24/3/710/1240790�
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