Skin: A Natural HistoryWe expose it, cover it, paint it, tattoo it, scar it, and pierce it. Our intimate connection with the world, skin protects us while advertising our health, our identity, and our individuality. This dazzling synthetic overview is a complete guidebook to the pliable covering that makes us who we are. Skin: A Natural History celebrates the evolution of three unique attributes of human skin: its naked sweatiness, its distinctive sepia rainbow of colors, and its remarkable range of decorations. Jablonski places the rich cultural canvas of skin within its broader biological context for the first time, and the result is a tremendously engaging look at us. |
Contents
| 1 | |
| 9 | |
2 History | 21 |
3 Sweat | 39 |
4 Skin and Sun | 56 |
5 Skins Dark Secret | 65 |
6 Color | 76 |
Color Plates and Maps | 88 |
8 Emotions Sex and Skin | 112 |
9 Wear and Tear | 121 |
10 Statements | 141 |
11 Future Skin | 164 |
Glossary | 175 |
Notes | 181 |
References | 217 |
| 243 | |
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Common terms and phrases
ability active Africa anatomical ancestors animals apes apocrine appearance australopithecines become biological blood vessels body body’s bones brain burns caused chapter chemical chimpanzees collagen cool cosmetics cultural damage dark skin darkly pigmented decoration dermis eccrine elastin environment epidermis eumelanin evolution evolutionary evolved face facial females fibers figure folate follicles fossil function gene genetic genus Homo grooming hair hairless heat Holick hominids hormones human skin color important infants Jablonski and Chaplin keratin keratinocytes latitudes layer levels of UVR light skin lightly pigmented skin lineage live mammals massage MC1R melanin melanocytes modern humans monkeys natural selection nerves person pheomelanin physical pigmentation primates produce protect radiation receptors relatively result scars sexual skin cancer skin’s social species stratum corneum studies sun exposure surface sweat glands tanning tattoos temperature tion tissue touch tropics types UVR exposure UVR levels vertebrates vitamin vitamin D wavelengths