Question: I have wanted to know this all my life but how do we get our different races if the world started of with one person? How do we get our different accents and our different languages because they cant just be made up can they?

James Pope answered on 29 Jun 2012:

Hi bethyboo44,

What a brilliant question! As the human race has expanded from our origins in Ethiopia we have had a couple of hundred thousand years to change slightly. The different races and all the skin, facial and height differences associated with that are all part of evolution, with certain characteristics proving to be more popular in different regions, maybe because they made people better hunters or quicker runners, better climbers or other possible reasons all of which are related to where in the world they have setlled. Different characteristics are better depending on whether you live in a flat area or a forested area or a place with lots of mountains. Similiarly, the climate and weather of a region determine some characteristics, I think black skin is more resistent to UV radiaition from the sun, so this skin colour became dominant in areas with high amounts of sunlight.

Modern language probably developed once we had split apart and how they come to be so different I have no idea, but the languages grew up seperately, but English for example is made up of words which have influences in gaelic, nordic (Viking languages), Roman, Germanic (ancient Germany) and Ancient Greece.

Not sure about accents though! It’s a really good question though!