Approaches to understanding adaptations of skin color variation by detecting gene–environment interactions

Abstract

Genetic and environmental factors are both part of an elaborate feedback mechanism whereby the human adaptive form reacts to environmental stimuli via internal adjustments. Human survival may ultimately depend on understanding two important components of future environmental adaptation. First, we must elucidate the dynamics of the human genome underpinning the complex human phenotype. Second, we must understand how the environment pressures and affects the genome, helping to determine human traits. This article reviews current approaches to detecting the natural selection of skin color variation in human populations. We include statistical methods for clarifying gene–environment interactions applicable to the interactions with UV radiation levels. We recommend spatial data mining as an efficient approach that applies environmental association rules, extending our knowledge of adaptation to the environment.