[Retric]

The closest example of convergent evolution in humans would probably be native populations in South America redeveloping darker skin tones to deal with sun burn the same way we initially had it in Africa. I don’t know the exact genetics, but it seems to be an independent adaptation rather than a holdover from an older population.

There might be some others such as lactose tolerance that are less obvious.

[andrewflnr]

I'd be very interested in hearing about that. My guess would have been that it was more a matter of the previously suppressed genes for dark skin coming back to the fore.

[nivertech]

I agree. Humans reached South (and even North) America only relatively recently in the evolutionary terms - 14-16 thousand years before present. It's not enough time for evolutionary processes to start kicking-in.

Another possible explanation (speculation) is that they met and mixed with yet undiscovered hominid species.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Settlement_of_the_Americas

[Retric]

The current view is skin color is simple evolutionary response which can easily occur on those timescales. https://www.psu.edu/impact/story/the-evolution-of-skin-color...

Several things have changed as recently as 11,000 years. “Examples for adaptations related to agriculture and animal domestication include East Asian types of ADH1B associated with rice domestication,[71] and lactase persistence.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recent_human_evolution

[andrewflnr]

Very neat. I didn't know about the folate angle selecting for dark skin in the first place.