Nina Jablonski breaks the illusion of skin color

Prevoditelj: Ivona Papa Recezent: Tilen Pigac - EFZG

Zanimljivo, Charles Darwin

Interestingly, Charles Darwin

was born a very lightly pigmented man,

se rodio kao čovjek jako svijetlog pigmenta,

in a moderately-to-darkly pigmented world.

u umjereno do tamno pigmentiranom svijetu.

Over the course of his life,

Tijekom svog života,

Darwin had great privilege.

Darwin je imao velike privilegije.

He lived in a fairly wealthy home.

Živio je u dosta bogatom domu.

He was raised by very supportive and interested parents.

Odgojili su ga roditelji puni potpore i brige.

And when he was in his 20s

I kad je bio u svojim 20-ima

he embarked upon a remarkable voyage on the ship the Beagle.

odvažio se na značajno putovanje brodom Beagle.

And during the course of that voyage,

I tijekom tog putovanja,

he saw remarkable things:

vidio je znamenite stvari:

tremendous diversity of plants and animals, and humans.

golemu raznolikost biljki i životinja, i ljudi.

And the observations that he made

I primjedbe koje je stekao

on that epic journey

na tom epskom putovanju

were to be eventually distilled

su se s vremenom razvile

into his wonderful book, "On the Origin of Species,"

u njegovu divnu knjigu, "O porijeklu vrsta",

published 150 years ago.

objavljenu prije 150 godina.

Now what is so interesting

Sad, ono što je tako zanimljivo

and to some, the extent, what's a bit infamous

i što je, u neku ruku, pomalo ozloglašeno

about "The Origin of Species,"

o "Porijeklu vrsta",

is that there is only one line in it

je da je tamo samo jedan redak

about human evolution.

o ljudskoj evoluciji.

"Light will be thrown on the origin of man

"Svjetlo će biti bačeno na porijeklo čovjeka

and his history."

i njegovu povijest."

It wasn't until much longer,

Tek puno kasnije,

much later,

puno kasnije

that Darwin actually spoke

je Darwin zapravo progovorio

and wrote about humans.

i pisao o ljudima.

Now in his years of

Za vrijeme

traveling on the Beagle,

putovanja na Beagleu,

and from listening to the accounts

i slušajući izvještaje

or explorers and naturalists,

istraživača i prirodoslovaca,

he knew that skin color

znao je da je boja kože

was one of the most important ways

jedan od najvažnijih načina

in which people varied.

u kojima se ljudi razlikuju.

And he was somewhat interested in the pattern of skin color.

I bio je donekle zainteresiran za obrazac boje kože.

He knew that darkly pigmented peoples

Znao je da se tamno pigmentirani ljudi

were found close to the equator;

nalaze blizu ekvatora,

lightly pigmented peoples, like himself,

svijetlo pigmentirani ljudi, poput njega samoga,

were found closer to the poles.

su bili bliže polovima.

So what did he make of all this?

I što je zaključio iz svega ovoga?

Well he didn't write anything about it in The Origin of Species.

Pa, nije ništa o tome napisao u Porijeklu vrsta.

But much later, in 1871,

Ali mnogo kasnije, 1871.,

he did have something to say about it.

imao je nešto za reći o tome.

And it was quite curious. He said,

I to je bilo poprilično zanimljivo. Rekao je,

"Of all the differences between the races of men,

"Od svih razlika između rasa čovjeka,

the color of the skin is the most conspicuous

boja kože je najizraženija

and one of the best marked."

i jedna od najbolje označenih."

And he went on to say,

I nastavio je,

"These differences do not coincide

"Ove razlike se ne događaju

with corresponding differences in climate."

u skladu s odgovarajućim razlikama u klimi."

So he had traveled all around.

Dakle, putovao je svugdje okolo.

He had seen people of different colors

Vidio je ljude različitih boja

living in different places.

koji žive u različitim mjestima.

And yet he rejected the idea

Pa ipak je odbacio ideju

that human skin pigmentation

da je pigmentacija ljudske kože

was related to the climate.

povezana s klimom.

If only Darwin lived today.

Da je Darwin barem živio danas.

If only Darwin had NASA.

Da je Darwin barem imao NASA-u.

Now, one of the wonderful things that NASA does

Sad, jedna od divnih stvari koje NASA čini

is it puts up a variety of satellites

je da postavlja razne satelite

that detect all sort of interesting things about our environment.

koji otkrivaju svakakve zanimljive stvari o našem okolišu.

And for many decades now

I sad već mnogo desetljeća

there have been a series of TOMS satellites

postoji serija satelita TOMS

that have collected data about the radiation of the Earth's surface.

koji su skupljali podatke o radijaciji na površini Zemlje.

The TOMS 7 satellite data, shown here,

Podaci satelita TOMS 7, pokazani ovdje,

show the annual average

pokazuju godišnji prosjek

ultraviolet radiation at the Earth's surface.

ultraljubičastog zračenja na površini Zemlje.

Now the really hot pink and red areas

Sad, stvarno vruće ružičasta i crvena područja

are those parts of the world that receive the highest amounts

su oni dijelovi svijeta koji dobivaju najveći dio

of UV during the year.

UV zračenja tijekom godine.

The incrementally cooler colors --

Dodavanjem hladnijih boja --

blues, greens, yellows, and finally grays --

plave, zelene, žute, i konačno sive --

indicate areas of much lower ultraviolet radiation.

pokazuju se područja mnogo nižeg ultraljubičastog zračenja.

What's significant to the story of human skin pigmentation

Ono što je značajno za priču o pigmentaciji ljudske kože

is just how much of the Northern Hemisphere

je to koliko se zapravo sjeverne polutke

is in these cool gray zones.

nalazi u ovim sivim zonama.

This has tremendous implications for our understanding

Ovo ima ogroman utjecaj na naše razumijevanje

of the evolution of human skin pigmentation.

evolucije pigmentacije ljudske kože.

And what Darwin could not appreciate,

I ono što Darwin nije mogao cijeniti,

or didn't perhaps want to appreciate at the time,

ili možda želio cijeniti u to vrijeme,

is that there was a fundamental relationship

je da postoji fundamentalna veza

between the intensity of ultraviolet radiation

između intenziteta UV zračenja

and skin pigmentation.

i pigmentacije kože.

And that skin pigmentation itself

I da je sama pigmentacija kože

was a product of evolution.

rezultat evolucije.

And so when we look at a map of skin color,

I tako kad pogledamo kartu boje kože,

and predicted skin color, as we know it today,

i predvidimo boju kože, kako je znamo danas,

what we see is a beautiful gradient

ono što vidimo je predivna gradacija

from the darkest skin pigmentations toward the equator,

od najtamnije pigmentacije prema ekvatoru,

and the lightest ones toward the poles.

do najsvjetlije prema polovima.

What's very, very important here

Ono što je jako, jako važno u tome

is that the earliest humans

je da su najraniji ljudi

evolved in high-UV environments,

evoluirali u okolišu visokog UV-a,

in equatorial Africa.

u ekvatorijalnoj Africi.

The earliest members of our lineage,

Najraniji članovi našeg porijekla,

the genus Homo, were darkly pigmented.

rod Homo, su bili tamnog pigmenta.

And we all share this incredible heritage

I svi dijelimo ovo nevjerojatno nasljedstvo

of having originally been

da smo originalno bili

darkly pigmented,

tamnog pigmenta,

two million to one and half million years ago.

prije dva milijuna do milijun i pol godina.

Now what happened in our history?

Sad, što se dogodilo u našoj povijesti?

Let's first look at the relationship

Pogledajmo najprije vezu

of ultraviolet radiation to the Earth's surface.

između ultraljubičastog zračenja i površine Zemlje.

In those early days of our evolution,

U onim ranim danima evolucije,

looking at the equator,

gledajući na ekvator,

we were bombarded by high levels of ultraviolet radiation.

bili smo bombardirani visokim razinama UV zračenja.

The UVC, the most energetic type,

UVC, najenergičniji tip,

was occluded by the Earth's atmosphere.

je odbijala Zemljina atmosfera.

But UVB and UVA

Ali UVB i posebno

especially, came in unimpeded.

UVA su nesmetano ulazili.

UVB turns out to be incredibly important.

Ispostavilo se da je UVB nevjerojatno važan.

It's very destructive,

Veoma je destruktivan,

but it also catalyzes the production of vitamin D in the skin,

ali također ubrzava proizvodnju vitamina D u koži,

vitamin D being a molecule that we very much need

s time da je vitamin D molekula koja je jako potrebna

for our strong bones, the health of our immune system,

za naše snažne kosti, zdravlje imunosustava,

and myriad other important functions in our bodies.

i mnoštvo drugih važnih funkcija u našim tijelima.

So, living at the equator, we got

Tako, živeći na ekvatoru, primili smo

lots and lots of ultraviolet radiation

mnogo mnogo ultraljubičastog zračenja

and the melanin --

i melanin --

this wonderful, complex, ancient polymer

ovaj divan, kompleksan, prastari polimerni

compound in our skin --

spoj u našoj koži --

served as a superb natural sunscreen.

je služio kao nadmoćna prirodna zaštita od sunca.

This polymer is amazing

Ovaj polimer je sjajan

because it's present in so many different organisms.

zato što je prisutan u tako mnogo različitih organizama.

Melanin, in various forms, has probably been on the Earth

Melanin, u različitim oblicima, je vjerojatno bio na Zemlji

a billion years,

milijardu godina,

and has been recruited over and over again

i iznova i iznova se koristio

by evolution, as often happens.

u evoluciji, kako to često biva.

Why change it if it works?

Zašto mijenjati ako radi?

So melanin was recruited, in our lineage,

Tako se melanin koristio, u našem porijeklu,

and specifically in our earliest ancestors

i posebno kod naših najranijih predaka

evolving in Africa,

koji su evoluirali u Africi,

to be a natural sunscreen.

kao prirodna zaštita od sunca.

Where it protected the body

Tamo gdje je štitio tijelo

against the degradations of ultraviolet radiation,

od štete od ultraljubičastog zračenja,

the destruction, or damage to DNA,

raspad, ili šteta na DNK,

and the breakdown of a very important molecule called folate,

i slom veoma važnih molekula zvanih folat,

which helps to fuel cell production,

koja pomaže u pogonu proizvodnje stanica,

and reproduction in the body.

i reprodukciji tijela.

So, it's wonderful. We evolved this very protective,

Tako, to je divno. Razvili smo ovu jaku zaštitu,

wonderful covering of melanin.

predivnu pokrivenost melaninom.

But then we moved.

Ali onda smo se preselili.

And humans dispersed -- not once, but twice.

I ljudi su se raspršili -- ne jednom, nego dvaput.

Major moves, outside of our equatorial homeland,

Velika kretanja, van naše ekvatorijalne domovine,

from Africa into other parts of the Old World,

iz Afrike u druge dijelove Starog svijeta,

and most recently, into the New World.

i najkasnije, u Novi svijet.

When humans dispersed into these latitudes,

Kad su se ljudi raspršili u ove zemljopisne širine,

what did they face?

sa čim su se suočili?

Conditions were significantly colder,

Uvjeti su bili puno hladniji,

but they were also less intense

ali i manje intenzivni

with respect to the ultraviolet regime.

po pitanju ultraljubičastog sustava.

So if we're somewhere in the Northern Hemisphere,

Pa ako smo bili negdje u sjevernoj polutci,

look at what's happening to the ultraviolet radiation.

pogledajte što se događa s ultraljubičastim zračenjem.

We're still getting a dose of UVA.

Još dobivamo dozu UVA.

But all of the UVB,

Ali sav UVB,

or nearly all of it,

ili gotovo sav,

is dissipated through the thickness of the atmosphere.

se rasipa kroz gustoću atmosfere.

In the winter, when you are skiing in the Alps,

Zimi, kad skijate u Alpama,

you may experience ultraviolet radiation.

možda iskusite ultraljubičasto zračenje.

But it's all UVA,

Ali to je sve UVA,

and, significantly, that UVA

i, značajno, taj UVA

has no ability to make vitamin D in your skin.

nema mogućnosti proizvoditi vitamin D u vašoj koži.

So people inhabiting northern hemispheric environments

Tako da ljudi koji nastanjivaju područja sjeverne polutke

were bereft of the potential

su ostali bez potencijala

to make vitamin D in their skin for most of the year.

da proizvode vitamin D u svojoj koži većinu godine.

This had tremendous consequences

Ovo je imalo goleme posljedice

for the evolution of human skin pigmentation.

za evoluciju pigmentacije ljudske kože.

Because what happened, in order to ensure health and well-being,

Zbog tog što se dogodilo, da bi se osigurali zdravlje i dobrobit,

these lineages of people

one linije ljudi

dispersing into the Northern Hemisphere

koje su se raspršile u sjevernu polutku,

lost their pigmentation.

su izgubile pigmentaciju.

There was natural selection

Na djelu je bila prirodna selekcija

for the evolution of lightly pigmented skin.

za evoluciju svijetlo pigmentirane kože.

Here we begin to see the evolution

Ovdje počinjemo vidjeti evoluciju

of the beautiful sepia rainbow

predivne duge u sepiji

that now characterizes all of humanity.

koja je sad karakteristična za ljudsku vrstu.

Lightly pigmented skin evolved not just once,

Svijetlo pigmentirana koža je evoluirala ne samo jednom,

not just twice, but probably three times.

ne samo dvaput, već vjerojatno tri puta.

Not just in modern humans,

Ne samo kod modernih ljudi,

but in one of our distant unrelated ancestors,

nego i u jednog od predaka s kojima nismo u srodstvu,

the Neanderthals.

Neandertalaca.

A remarkable, remarkable testament

Značajan, značajan prilog

to the power of evolution.

moći evolucije.

Humans have been on the move for a long time.

Ljudi su bili u pokretu dugo vremena.

And just in the last 5,000 years,

I samo u zadnjih 5.000 godina,

in increasing rates, over increasing distances.

u povećanoj mjeri, preko sve većih udaljenosti.

Here are just some of the biggest movements of people,

Ovdje su samo neki od najvećih seoba ljudi,

voluntary movements, in the last 5,000 years.

dobrovoljna preseljenja, u posljednjih 5.000 godina.

Look at some of the major latitudinal transgressions:

Pogledajte neke od glavnih transgresija u zemljopisnoj širini:

people from high UV areas

ljudi iz područja visokog UV-a

going to low UV and vice versa.

idu u područja niskog UV-a i obrnuto.

And not all these moves were voluntary.

I nisu sva ova kretanja dobrovoljna.

Between 1520 and 1867,

Između 1520. i 1867.,

12 million, 500 people

12 milijuna, 500 ljudi

were moved from high UV

se preselilo iz visokog UV-a

to low UV areas

u područja niskog UV-a

in the transatlantic slave trade.

u prekoatlantskoj trgovini robljem.

Now this had all sorts of invidious social consequences.

Ovo je pak imalo svakakve zlokobne društvene posljedice.

But it also had deleterious

Isto tako je imalo poguban

health consequences to people.

utjecaj na zdravlje ljudi.

So what? We've been on the move.

Pa što? Selili smo se.

We're so clever we can overcome all of these

Bili smo tako pametni i nadišli sve ove

seeming biological impediments.

prividne biološke prepreke.

Well, often we're unaware

Pa, često nismo svjesni

of the fact that we're living

činjenice da živimo

in environments in which our skin

u okolišu u kojem je naša koža

is inherently poorly adapted.

nasljedno slabo prilagođena.

Some of us with lightly pigmented skin

Neki od nas sa svjetlije pigmentiranom kožom

live in high-UV areas.

žive u područjima visokog UV-a.

Some of us with darkly pigmented skin

Neki od nas s tamnije pigmentiranom kožom

live in low-UV areas.

žive u područjima niskog UV-a.

These have tremendous consequences for our health.

Ovo ima goleme posljedice na naše zdravlje.

We have to, if we're lightly pigmented,

Moramo, ako smo svijetlije pigmentirani,

be careful about the problems of skin cancer,

biti oprezni zbog problema s rakom kože,

and destruction of folate in our bodies,

i uništavanjem folata u našem tijelu,

by lots of sun.

zbog puno sunca.

Epidemiologists and doctors

Epidemiolozi i doktori

have been very good about telling us

su bili jako dobri i rekli nam

about protecting our skin.

da zaštitimo svoju kožu.

What they haven't been so good about instructing people

Ali nisu bili tako dobri pri upućivanju ljudi

is the problem of darkly pigmented people

u problem s tamno pigmentiranim ljudima

living in high latitude areas,

koji žive u područjima visoke zemljopisne širine,

or working inside all the time.

koji rade u zatvorenom cijelo vrijeme.

Because the problem there is just as severe,

Zato što je tu problem jednako ozbiljan,

but it is more sinister,

ali je i zlokobniji,

because vitamin D deficiency,

zbog nedostatka vitamina D,

from a lack of ultraviolet B radiation,

zbog nedostatka ultraljubičastog B zračenja,

is a major problem.

što je glavni problem.

Vitamin D deficiency creeps up on people,

Nedostatak vitamina D se prikrada ljudima,

and causes all sorts of health problems to their bones,

i uzrokuje razne zdravstvene probleme s kostima,

to their gradual decay of their immune systems,

do postupnog raspada imuno sustava,

or loss of immune function,

ili gubitka imunološke funkcije,

and probably some problems

i vjerojatno nekih problema

with their mood and health,

s raspoloženjem i zdravljem,

their mental health.

njihovim mentalnim zdravljem.

So we have, in skin pigmentation,

Tako imamo, u pigmentaciji kože,

one of these wonderful products of evolution

jedan od ovih divnih proizvoda evolucije

that still has consequences for us today.

koji i dan danas ima posljedice za nas.

And the social consequences,

I društvene posljedice su,

as we know, are incredibly profound.

kako znamo, jako duboke.

We live in a world where we

Živimo u svijetu gdje

have lightly and darkly pigmented people

imamo svijetlo i tamno pigmentirane ljude

living next to one another,

koji žive jedni do drugih,

but often brought into proximity initially

ali često su dovedeni blizu počevši

as a result of very invidious social interactions.

kao rezultat veoma zlokobnih ljudskih interakcija.

So how can we overcome this?

Pa kako možemo nadići ovo?

How can we begin to understand it?

Kako možemo početi to razumijevati?

Evolution helps us.

Evolucija nam pomaže.

200 years after Darwin's birthday,

200 godina nakon Darwinova rođendana,

we have the first moderately pigmented President of the United States.

imamo prvog umjereno pigmentiranog predsjednika SAD-a.

(Applause)

(Pljesak)

How wonderful is that?

Zar to nije divno?

(Applause)

(Pljesak)

This man is significant for a whole host of reasons.

Ovaj čovjek je značajan zbog velikog mnoštva razloga.

But we need to think about how he compares,

Ali moramo razmisliti kako on stoji u usporedbi,

in terms of his pigmentation, to other people on Earth.

s obzirom na svoju pigmentaciju, s drugim ljudima na Zemlji.

He, as one of many urban admixed populations,

On, kao jedan od mnogih urbanih miješanih populacija,

is very emblematic

je jako dobar primjer

of a mixed parentage, of a mixed pigmentation.

miješanih roditelja, miješane pigmentacije.

And he resembles, very closely,

I jako nalikuje, jako blizu,

people with moderate levels of pigmentation

ljudima s umjerenom razinom pigmentacije

who live in southern Africa, or Southeast Asia.

koji žive u južnoj Africi, ili jugozapadnoj Aziji.

These people have a tremendous potential

Ovi ljudi imaju ogroman potencijal

to tan, to develop more pigment in their skin,

da potamne, da razviju više pigmenta u svojoj koži,

as a result of exposure to sun.

kao rezultat izlaganja suncu.

They also run the risk of vitamin D deficiency,

Također su pod rizikom nedostatka vitamina D,

if they have desk jobs, like that guy.

ako imaju uredske poslove, kao taj čovjek.

So lets all wish for his great health,

Pa poželimo mu svi odlično zdravlje,

and his awareness of his own skin pigmentation.

i da bude svjestan svoje pigmentacije kože.

Now what is wonderful

Ono što je divno

about the evolution of human skin pigmentation,

u evoluciji pigmentacije ljudske kože,

and the phenomenon of pigmentation,

i fenomenu pigmentacije,

is that it is the demonstration,

je da demonstrira,

the evidence, of evolution

da je dokaz evolucije

by natural selection,

prirodnim odabirom,

right on your body.

upravo na vašem tijelu.

When people ask you, "What is the evidence for evolution?"

Kad vas ljudi pitaju: "Koji je dokaz evolucije?"

You don't have to think about some exotic examples, or fossils.

Ne morate razmišljati o nekom egzotičnom primjeru, ili fosilima.

You just have to look at your skin.

Samo morate pogledati na svoju kožu.

Darwin, I think, would have appreciated this,

Darwin bi, mislim, ovo cijenio,

even though he eschewed the importance

iako mu je izmakla važnost

of climate on the evolution of pigmentation during his own life.

klime na evoluciju pigmentacije tijekom njegova života.

I think, were he able to look

Mislim, da je mogao pogledati

at the evidence we have today, he would understand it.

na dokaze koje imamo danas, da bi razumio.

He would appreciate it.

Cijenio bi to.

And most of all, he would teach it.

I najvažnije, poučavao bi to.

You, you can teach it.

Vi, vi to možete poučavati.

You can touch it.

Možete to dotaknuti.

You can understand it.

Možete to razumjeti.

Take it out of this room.

Odnesite to iz ove sobe.

Take your skin color,

Uzmite svoju boju kože,

and celebrate it.

i slavite je.

Spread the word.

Raširite vijest.

You have the evolution

Imate evoluciju

of the history of our species,

povijesti naše vrste,

part of it, written in your skin.

dio toga, ispisan na vašoj koži.

Understand it. Appreciate it. Celebrate it.

Razumite. Cijenite. Slavite.

Go out. Isn't it beautiful? Isn't it wonderful?

Idite van. Zar nije predivno? Zar nije prekrasno?

You are the products of evolution.

Vi ste proizvod evolucije.

Thank you.

Hvala vam.

(Applause)

(Pljesak)