Most Europeans may have had dark skin until less than 3000 years ago

A study of ancient DNA from people who lived in Europe between 1700 and 45,000 years ago suggests that 63 per cent of them had dark skin and 8 per cent had pale skin, with the rest somewhere in between. It was only around 3000 years ago that individuals with intermediate or pale skin started to become a majority.

Until a few years ago, it was assumed that the modern humans who moved into…