Genetics, Vitamins

Is the Loomis Hypothesis wrong?

I remember an old vitamin D book – I believe it was Feldman’s Vitamin D – that argues that if we are going down the Transsahara Route (Algier-Lagos) human skin color gets always darker towards Tamanrasset due to increased solar power- also known known as the  Loomis hypothesis (Science 1967).

So , let’s have a look at three maps. Solar power first.

1. Solar power. Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1e/Global_Map_of_Global_Horizontal_Radiation.png

Second, skin tones – the Tamanrasset observation is correct but the overall picture does not match the Loomis hypothesis.

2. Skin tone. Source https://science.sciencemag.org/content/358/6365/867.full For full details see the original paper

Neither does the new vitamin D map published last week in the Lancet.

3. Vitamin D map. Source: https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S2214109X19304577 For full details see the original paper

Maps are still patchy but let me already believe that the Loomis hypothesis is wrong.

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