Evolution helped turn hairless skin into a canvas for self-expression
2/16/13
Hairless skin first evolved in humans as a way to keep cool -- and then turned into a canvas to help them look cool, according to a Penn State anthropologist.
Nina Jablonski
Nina Jablonski
Modern life may cause sun exposure, skin pigmentation mismatch
2/16/13
As people move more often and become more urbanized, skin color -- an adaptation that took hundreds of thousands of years to develop in humans -- may lose some of its evolutionary advantage, according to a Penn State anthropologist.
Video: Nina Jablonski on how lifestyle decisions impact skin health
11/12/12
Nina Jablonski, Distinguished Professor of Anthropology at Penn State and a 2012 Guggenheim Fellow, is internationally known for her research on the evolution of human skin and skin color. In a video produced by the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research, National Institutes of Health, she discusses how human lifestyle decisions impact the health of our skin and its ability to mediate our overall health. The skin is the major interface between our internal and external environments, Jablonski notes, especially in connection with our need for vitamin D, which is critical to our body's ability to absorb calcium and maintain a healthy skeleton.
Three Penn State faculty awarded 2012 Guggenheim Fellowships
4/16/12
Three Penn State faculty members from the College of the Liberal Arts have been awarded Guggenheim Fellowships for 2012: Lori D. Ginzberg, professor of history and women's studies; Nina G. Jablonski, Distinguished Professor of Anthropology; and David A. Rosenbaum, Distinguished Professor of Psychology. The three are among a diverse group of 181 artists, scientists and scholars selected this year from nearly 3,000 applicants across the United States and Canada. According to the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, fellows are chosen on the basis of achievement and exceptional promise. This year's fellows represent 54 disciplines from 77 different academic institutions.
Four Liberal Arts faculty honored for prominent research, teaching
8/8/11
The College of the Liberal Arts announced new honors bestowed on four Liberal Arts faculty. Nina Jablonski has been named distinguished professor of anthropology; Emily Grosholz, liberal arts research professor of philosophy, African-American studies, and English; Laura Knoppers, liberal arts research professor of English; and Nancy Landale, liberal arts research professor of sociology and demography.
Dean Susan Welch said, "The many scholarly achievements of these faculty have raised the quality and the visibility of their departments and the college. They have continued the longstanding tradition of great scholars and teachers in the College of the Liberal Arts."
More than skin deep, tanning product of sun's rays
6/21/10
People who remain pale and never tan can blame their distant ancestors for choosing to live in the northern reaches of the globe and those who easily achieve a deep tan can thank their ancestors for living in the subtropical latitudes, according to Penn State anthropologists. "The variation of ultraviolet radiation, especially in the middle and high latitudes is great," said Nina Jablonski, professor of anthropology and chair of Penn State's anthropology department. "Tanning has evolved multiple times around the world as a mechanism to partly protect humans from harmful effects of ultraviolet radiation."
Anthropology researcher explains why humans have no fur
2/5/10
Humans are the only primates whose bodies are covered by mostly naked skin, not by fur. The evolution of our oddly bare bodies has been crucial in the development of other human traits. In the February issue of Scientific American magazine, Penn State anthropologist Nina Jablonski writes about the evolutionary origins of human hairlessness. Mammals possess ample body fur for insulation, protection from external elements, and social signaling. Though various underground or aquatic mammals have also evolved hairlessness, human hairlessness is unique because it evolved to help our bodies stay cool.
Anthropology professor to appear on 'CBS News Sunday Morning'
1/30/09
Nina Jablonski, professor and head of Penn State's anthropology department, is scheduled to appear this Sunday (Feb. 1) on "CBS News Sunday Morning," a 90-minute news magazine show hosted by Charles Osgood, to discuss the topic of skin and the sun. Jablonski's 2006 book, "Skin: A Natural History," attracted a great deal of public and academic attention; her research on the evolution of human skin and skin color has been featured on "The Colbert Report" and in "National Geographic," "Scientific American" and other popular science publications.
Probing Question: What is the history of tattooing?
6/20/08
You might not think the sullen, tattooed teenager skulking around your local record store has anything in common with Winston Churchill, but you would be wrong. Sir Winston, King George V, and the slaves of ancient Greece—to name a few—all have their place in the colorful history of skin decoration.
Research Unplugged: A conversation with Nina Jablonski
10/8/07
"Everyone has skin, but nobody really talks about it," said Nina Jablonski. "Why do we have skin? What is unique about our skin? And why should we bother to take notice of it?"
These are just a few of the questions Jablonski answered at the Penn State Downtown Theatre on Wednesday at the first Research Unplugged event of the fall season.
The human fabric
8/1/07
"It isn't good to take for granted something as important as skin," writes Nina G. Jablonski.
Evolution helped turn hairless skin into a canvas for self-expression
2/16/13
Hairless skin first evolved in humans as a way to keep cool -- and then turned into a canvas to help them look cool, according to a Penn State anthropologist.
Modern life may cause sun exposure, skin pigmentation mismatch
2/16/13
As people move more often and become more urbanized, skin color -- an adaptation that took hundreds of thousands of years to develop in humans -- may lose some of its evolutionary advantage, according to a Penn State anthropologist.
Video: Nina Jablonski on how lifestyle decisions impact skin health
11/12/12
Nina Jablonski, Distinguished Professor of Anthropology at Penn State and a 2012 Guggenheim Fellow, is internationally known for her research on the evolution of human skin and skin color. In a video produced by the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research, National Institutes of Health, she discusses how human lifestyle decisions impact the health of our skin and its ability to mediate our overall health. The skin is the major interface between our internal and external environments, Jablonski notes, especially in connection with our need for vitamin D, which is critical to our body's ability to absorb calcium and maintain a healthy skeleton.
Three Penn State faculty awarded 2012 Guggenheim Fellowships
4/16/12
Three Penn State faculty members from the College of the Liberal Arts have been awarded Guggenheim Fellowships for 2012: Lori D. Ginzberg, professor of history and women's studies; Nina G. Jablonski, Distinguished Professor of Anthropology; and David A. Rosenbaum, Distinguished Professor of Psychology. The three are among a diverse group of 181 artists, scientists and scholars selected this year from nearly 3,000 applicants across the United States and Canada. According to the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, fellows are chosen on the basis of achievement and exceptional promise. This year's fellows represent 54 disciplines from 77 different academic institutions.
Four Liberal Arts faculty honored for prominent research, teaching
8/8/11
The College of the Liberal Arts announced new honors bestowed on four Liberal Arts faculty. Nina Jablonski has been named distinguished professor of anthropology; Emily Grosholz, liberal arts research professor of philosophy, African-American studies, and English; Laura Knoppers, liberal arts research professor of English; and Nancy Landale, liberal arts research professor of sociology and demography.
Dean Susan Welch said, "The many scholarly achievements of these faculty have raised the quality and the visibility of their departments and the college. They have continued the longstanding tradition of great scholars and teachers in the College of the Liberal Arts."
More than skin deep, tanning product of sun's rays
6/21/10
People who remain pale and never tan can blame their distant ancestors for choosing to live in the northern reaches of the globe and those who easily achieve a deep tan can thank their ancestors for living in the subtropical latitudes, according to Penn State anthropologists. "The variation of ultraviolet radiation, especially in the middle and high latitudes is great," said Nina Jablonski, professor of anthropology and chair of Penn State's anthropology department. "Tanning has evolved multiple times around the world as a mechanism to partly protect humans from harmful effects of ultraviolet radiation."
Anthropology researcher explains why humans have no fur
2/5/10
Humans are the only primates whose bodies are covered by mostly naked skin, not by fur. The evolution of our oddly bare bodies has been crucial in the development of other human traits. In the February issue of Scientific American magazine, Penn State anthropologist Nina Jablonski writes about the evolutionary origins of human hairlessness. Mammals possess ample body fur for insulation, protection from external elements, and social signaling. Though various underground or aquatic mammals have also evolved hairlessness, human hairlessness is unique because it evolved to help our bodies stay cool.
Anthropology professor to appear on 'CBS News Sunday Morning'
1/30/09
Nina Jablonski, professor and head of Penn State's anthropology department, is scheduled to appear this Sunday (Feb. 1) on "CBS News Sunday Morning," a 90-minute news magazine show hosted by Charles Osgood, to discuss the topic of skin and the sun. Jablonski's 2006 book, "Skin: A Natural History," attracted a great deal of public and academic attention; her research on the evolution of human skin and skin color has been featured on "The Colbert Report" and in "National Geographic," "Scientific American" and other popular science publications.
Probing Question: What is the history of tattooing?
6/20/08
You might not think the sullen, tattooed teenager skulking around your local record store has anything in common with Winston Churchill, but you would be wrong. Sir Winston, King George V, and the slaves of ancient Greece—to name a few—all have their place in the colorful history of skin decoration.
Research Unplugged: A conversation with Nina Jablonski
10/8/07
"Everyone has skin, but nobody really talks about it," said Nina Jablonski. "Why do we have skin? What is unique about our skin? And why should we bother to take notice of it?"
These are just a few of the questions Jablonski answered at the Penn State Downtown Theatre on Wednesday at the first Research Unplugged event of the fall season.
The human fabric
8/1/07
"It isn't good to take for granted something as important as skin," writes Nina G. Jablonski.