Why do black people have such large lips?
Here is an interesting theory that has not been mentioned yet. There is no scientific fact for this but it seems possible to me: —– Human lips vary in the extent to which they are rolled up to expose the pink membranous portion, a phenomenon known as lip eversion. Lip eversion has been described as particularly a trait of Africans, involving outrolling and exposure of the mucus membrane of the mouth and thickening of the lips making them stand forward from the teeth (1). The characteristic eversion of the lips in African humans may function to make visible the pink mucus membrane so as to signal health. In the African environment, the most probable form of health and fitness being indicated would be the absence of anemia or jaundice due to diseases, including parasitic diseases such as malaria. In such disease states the exposed mucus membrane would not have its normal pink color. The capillaries running close to the surface of the lips, alluded to above, would therefore generate a
