Seriously, a bad sunburn could limit our ability to survive in the wild. I’ve had a few so bad I could barely move and I had a super high fever. Desn’t that happen to animals? How do they manage?
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We actually do have adaptations to the sun. However, these adaptations are geographical, based on one’s ancestry, and the amount of sun they received. Those with more equatorial ancestry have more melanin, which will collect the UV light and prevent damage. However, in a more polar environment, that adaptation can become a disadvantage, as our bodies also use UV to generate Vitamin D. Keep in mind, these adaptations developed before we were as mobile of a species as we are today.
Now, our bodies also have a reactive response as well, as sun exposure changes seasonally. Our melanin production is not purely regulated by genetics. As we are exposed to UV, that also triggers our body to produce melanin. Our modern lives just interfere with this process being as effective as it used to be, as we now tend to spend a good portion of the time indoors, shielded from UV, but suddenly allow a significant exposure all in one or two days. Our bodies reactive approach doesn’t work that fast, so, without sunscreen to artificially block UV right at our skin, we burn, and experience the cellular damage that can eventually result in cancer.
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