A model of Cheddar Man, a person who lived in Britain 10,000 years ago, based on analysis of his DNA
Susie Kearley / Alamy
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…