’Light skin’ gene mirrors socio-cultural boundaries in Indian population

Latest research shows that the presence of the genetic mutation for lighter skin - found in "almost 100%" of Europeans - broadly conforms to many cultural and linguistic differences, as well as ancestral, in the wider Indian population. In India, this genetic variant doesn't just follow a 'classical' theory of natural selection - Mircea Iliescu The genetic mutation in SLC24A5 is known to be pivotal in the evolution of light skin, and is responsible for a significant part of the skin colour differences between Europeans and Africans. Now, a new study has examined for the first time a large, uniform genetic sample collected directly in south India, and suggests that natural selection is not the sole factor in skin tone variation across the Indian sub-continent, and that cultural and linguistic traits still delineate this skin pigment genetic mutation. The results show that the gene is found with much higher frequency in Indo-European speaking groups that are more prevalent in the north-west of the country. But the mutation is also high in populations groups known to have migrated north to south, such as the Saurashtrians, who - while native to Gujarat in north-west India - are now predominantly found in the Madurai district in its southernmost tip. Researchers say that the study, published last week in the journal PLoS Genetics , shows that the genetic mutation in SLC24A5 has a common origin between Europeans and Indians.