Where Does My Skin Color Come From?

Have you ever been convinced that you’re adopted because your parents have a radically different skin color? It really gets you thinking— How DO we inherit skin color in the first place? In this episode, Dr. Tina Lasisi walks us through how we genetically inherit traits, how skin color is distributed across the globe, and how the inheritance of skin color is not as straightforward as we might think.

"Why am I like this?" is a show hosted by biological anthropologist Tina Lasisi, and produced by STEMedia, that dives deep into evolutionary biology to explain some of our existentialism or everyday questions about our body.

And keep up with Weathered and PBS Terra on:

[YouGuessIGuess]

One thing I always found interesting was the different ways the sun affected the skin of my family members.
My dad got pink and burned easily, as did one of my sisters.
My other siblins all just tanned, and my youngest sister could go from pale to tanned in the span of an afternoon.
Skin is honestly so amazing!

[blue_champignon]

This show better get more funding for more episodes!

[MrBrokenwrenches]

"Did you know that you can probably make butter from human fat?" Entire crew slowly backs away lol This was so damn entertaining and informative! Using the noir genre to explain skin tone is brilliant. Thanks to all who made it.

[jtgd]

“I havent even paid you, and I want my money back”

Best angry customer line

[Poohze]

And nobody mentioned the eyebrows? Loved this. So much fun.

[katbairwell]

This is such an entertaining way to get a complex issue across. I hope you all had fun making it, even if Dr. Lasisi was very tired! Sending love, and thanks, from the UK you all are putting the BBC to shame, Bravo!!

[jonwashburn]

My light brown Puerto Rican friend and his brown Mexican wife have a fair skinned red headed daughter that looks like her Irish grandfather's side of the family. He gets lots of comments.

[gawdmoderob]

Beautifully edited, whoever’s behind the these transitions and pacing deserves a raise!!

[christophercotton]

Great presentation! This needs to be on every TV station for five years, maybe then the whole species can grow out of racism-colorism.

[nasonguy]

As a person of mixed ancestry, and Hispanic culture, this strikes home. Me and my siblings are all different shades of brown, haha. Our children likewise are all over the color gradient.

[samanthamellott]

this is AWESOME. loved how the baby has Dr. Nee’s eyebrows💕 I want to see

[Scraggledust]

I am covered in every tone of brown (not the red variant) of freckles. No joke. My 3 sibs were born with olive tone skin, dark haired and dark brown eyes. Me, pale and grey eyed. Yes, per DNA I am my legit. My daughter whose father is Mexican, is nearly a carbon copy of me. Her son, looks like me and is getting his freckles! I have way more freckles and she has a gorgeous tan in the summer. My bro, his kids are half Laotian. They all have dark hair and eyes. But, only their middle child has the same skin tone as mom. In fact, the others got my pale skin, not my bros olive tone. Love, love all the possibilities out there. Genetics! Remember, skin color is no reason to ever hate. Be better humans🙌

[LXNL]

Wouldn't it be nice if fact based pieces like this was mostly what we had access to?

Thanks guys, really appreciate this and items from May.

[stacylitwin]

Best bloopers ever lol, however also amazing content that a lot more people need to know to avoid needless shaming of literal family members for something they don't understand

[StreetComp]

I grew up in a US east coast city and from preschool on I was surrounded by kids and adults of all different colors and had all the good and bad life experiences that formed my personality happen with all sorts of people, so as an adult I just don’t use skin color as a judge of anything, other than being a helpful identifier.
Crazy that people judge others by how much UV radiation their ancestors had to deal with

[Baldanders]

Having known most of this, I really enjoyed the presentation. I'm glad you made two important points 1) Billy Jean, who is also not my lover... 2) the eyebrows.

[geodkyt]

Hilarious way to present this material in an "accessible" way. 🤣

[RuviGaPo]

This is the coolest show ever!!!
Tina has earned herself a new fan🤩

[ATWBeauty]

I just love this whole lesson. Im such a geek and love seeing all this content.

[HARE]

This was totally fascinating.
The important thing to remember is that we are all brothers and sisters of the same tribe.
We are all in this together, and the time to use skin color to divide us is long past.
Now let’s talk about hair color.
My white, Scotts Irish parents had three children, one with blonde hair, one with brown hair, and one (me!) with red hair.
Curiouser and curiouser…