[net.cooks] dark skins near equator

debray@sbcs.UUCP (Saumya Debray) (11/30/84)

> What I've always wondered is why the closer to the equator people live, the
> darker their skin tends to be. It seems that in the interests of
> maintainting a reasonable body temperature, it should be just the opposite.
> 

Melanin (the dark pigment you refer to) blocks out ultraviolet radiation:
because the amount of atmosphere sunlight has to travel through is lesser
nearer the equator, less UV is absorbed by the atmosphere and more of it
reaches the surface.
-- 
Saumya Debray, 	SUNY at Stony Brook

	uucp:
	    {cbosgd, decvax, ihnp4, mcvax, cmcl2}!philabs \
		      {amd, akgua, decwrl, utzoo}!allegra  > !sbcs!debray
			      {tektronix, metheus}!ogcvax /
	CSNet: debray@sbcs

rmf@petfe.UUCP (Ralph M. Friedman) (12/04/84)

what does this have to do with net.cooks???

rpf@ptsfa.UUCP (Roy Falk) (12/07/84)

Maybe it has something to do with cannibals.  Afterall, they
need recipies too!
-- 
Roy Falk

uucp={ihnp4,ucbvax,cbosgd,decwrl,amd,fortune,zehntel}!dual!ptsfa!rpf
voice=415 774-1325
physical=37 49.6 N  122 25.3 W