Reply #78: Radiation from the sun doesn't affect reproductive cells... [View All]

and those are the only mutations that can be passed to your offspring. The only ionizing radiation from the sun that can penetrate the atmosphere is UV, and that only penetrates a millimeter or two into your body.

FWIW, I have read that about 99.9% of genetic mutations result from oxidative stress at the cellular level (i.e., free radicals produced by badly running mitochondria), and the chief external factor affecting oxidative stress is diet, not radiation or chemicals.

I have always felt that societal hangups about skin color are scientifically asinine. "Race" is a sociological construct, not a biological one, and of all the factors to use to define a "race," skin color is about the least relevant one can imagine.