>>10994017>Is skin color an independent adaptation for modern humans.I think most mutations for light skin that we have developed in Sapiens, but there are a few from Neanderthals. I'd need to look into it more to tell you the specifics. Off the top of my head, the markers we use for estimating color in Sapiens predict that Neanderthals were mostly black. Which either means they were either quite a lot darker than the modern European, or they had different genes for reducing pigment that we didn't inherit.
Should be noted, studies suggest Europeans only became as light as they are about six thousand years ago. Blue eyes are a little older, 10,000 from what I remember. Neanderthals seem like they may have had more to do with straight hair than light skin, but I'll need to look at the latest papers.
>I hate to be obvious but it takes some doing to get the black outIt's important to note that Africans actually have quite some diversity in pigment genes. Some have mutated to get even darker, some to be lighter, so there were already depigmentation genes to select for and concentrate from the African population.
>Suggest more isolated incidents and not routine occurrence?Pretty much. There are enough Neanderthal genes to be significant, but not enough for introgression to be routine.
