What If Everyone Was Albino?

[Music] imagine how different your life would be if you had a condition that made your vision poor being outdoors risky and your appearance different from everyone else doesn't sound easy but for the duration of this episode you're going to experience what it would be like if you were albino would you have red eyes how would your genes be different and why could the sun kill you this is what if and here's what would happen if everyone was albino according to the national organization for albinism and hypopigmentation albinism occurs in all racial and ethnic groups in the united states approximately 1 in 18 to 20 000 people have some type of albinism in other parts of the world the occurrence can be as high as one in three thousand it happens everywhere but albinism is most common in sub-saharan africa it can be difficult for albinos to make a living in these regions their skin is so sensitive to sunlight that they can't do agricultural work and growing food is the main income producing activity in many rural areas but lack of income isn't the only threat to albinos [Music] in tanzania at least 75 people with albinism have been killed since 2000. what spurred these tragic murders in some parts of the world it's believed that albino body parts possess magical powers and are sold on the black market for as much as 75 000 even if you don't live in sub-saharan africa you'd still face discrimination and stigma it's a giant q-tip hank but what really is albinism and why does it have such a huge effect on your body it all starts with melanin melanin creates the color of your skin hair and eyes you have several genes that produce and distribute this complex polymer but sometimes one of those genes doesn't work correctly causing a lack of melanin this results in the snow white appearance that we imagine when we think about albinism but there are actually different types of albinism oculocutaneous albinism affects your eyes hair and skin it's more common than ocular albinism which involves only your eyes we're going to stick with oculocutaneous albinism in this episode which is the type that affects your whole body so what would happen if everyone became albino well we're going to skip over the immediate chaos and jump to a future where we've got things a little more figured out and even though we're all albino you wouldn't look like everyone else the amount of melanin and pigmentation in your skin and hair would still differ from person to person your eyes would most likely be blue but they could also be hazel or brown and no they wouldn't be red sometimes an albino's eyes can look red that's because the blood vessels at the back of the eye become visible when the lighting is just right but the whole red eyes thing is a myth living with albinism you definitely make different fashion choices you'd want more coverage especially in the summer you'd enjoy wearing nice linen pants or long lightweight dresses sun hats with large brims and big sunglasses would be all the rage why the lack of melanin in your skin would make you prone to skin cancer in africa 90 of albinos die from skin cancer before they reach age but with the right treatment and precautions like protective clothing and sunscreen you could avoid dangerous sun exposure slathering your body and sunscreen would be part of your morning routine you'd also stay indoors when the sunlight is most intense only enjoying outside activities in the morning and evenings or you might decide to move somewhere with less sunlight like regican a village in the south of norway nestled between the mountains it only receives direct sunlight for half the year but sunnier cities would adapt to everyone's needs huge sun shades would be constructed outside restaurants and public areas and super sensitive skin wouldn't be the only thing you'd have to contend with you'd also have problems with your vision most albinos are legally blind this means that your natural vision would not allow you to perform some everyday tasks without assistance so we'd all be using handheld magnifiers e-readers and glasses and braille could become the world's most common written language but with a legally blind population our infrastructure would need some major changes you'd mostly rely on a robust public transportation system outfitted with visual cues if you have enough money you'd own a self-driving electric car and if you were one of the few people who were able to drive you'd enter the specialized and highly sought after field of driving if everyone woke up one day with albinism then hopefully we'd understand that there's nothing mythical or superstitious about it and we'd all have more compassion and if we redesign our cities with everyone's unique needs in mind it could help all of us how would your work and neighborhood change if everyone was completely blind well that's a story for another what if

Channel: What If

Views: 334,975

Keywords: what if, what happens if, scifi, science documentary, what if scenario, mysteries, what if your body, hypothetical, documentary, science, albino, red eyes, genes, sun, albino people, albinism, albinos in africa, albino africa, an albino, hypopigmentation, sub-saharan africa, albinos, sunlight, sensitive, sensitive to light, tanzania, melanin, gene, ocular albinism, pigmentation, skin cancer, protective clothing, sunscreen, sun exposure, stay indoors, rjukan, sun shade, legally blind, magnifier

Id: pYFSaFihrUE

Length: 7min 12sec (432 seconds)

Published: Tue Apr 13 2021