Europe: DNA Cul-de-sac?

Or: What's with all these white people?

In tracing the route of humans leaving the ancestral home in Africa scientists have decided that aboriginal Australia was the south easternmost terminus for migration.
It was simply impossible to go much further. That indigenous population has provided a strong genetic marker showing unbroken links back to the home population in southern Africa. In a sense this renders Australia a genetic cul-de sac.

Is this not true of Europe as well? Human populations, with an Eastward valance, occupied and settled all of Asia and, much later, North and South America. Others of this identical population drifted westward to occupy Europe. Over the course of thousands of years these folks in the wild,wild west beyond the Ural mountains just stayed put and somehow... got whiter.

Nowhere else did this profound pigmental erasure occur, so what's up with that? How come that group got white while the rest of mankind kept its dusky hues? I suggest there was a specific and lengthy selection process set in motion tens of thousands of years ago. But why, you ask? Why would a people deliberately set out, and largely succeed, in becoming white? Albino envy perhaps? Albino reverence maybe? Albino congress, could be. Wikipedia: Albinism is hereditary;... Most forms of albinism are the result of the biological inheritance of genetically recessive genes passed from both parents of an individual, though some rare forms are inherited from only one parent. There are other genetic mutations which are proven to be associated with albinism

Albinism, which historically has evoked alarm, fear or loathing may at one time in the deep past have caused awe and envy sufficient to launch a cult of admirers. History is rife with equally dumb things having been done. If so, this could explain a unique population of blue-eyed, or at least light-eyed, flaxen-haired gits with a conspicuous all-over pallor.

If we go to the texts we will be treated to a variety of solemn declarations for how some people got to be white and others didn't. Wikipedia: Lighter skin colors may have been advantageous at higher latitudes since they allow greater penetration of the sun's UV radiation, a requirement for vitamin D synthesis. This may have led to selection for lightly pigmented skin...human eye is quite large and thus produces enough pigment to lend opacity to the eye, often colouring the iris pale blue

So why didn't far eastern populations living even further north, above the Arctic Circle in fact, for as about as long as Europeans, turn white,too? None of the popular assumptions regarding pigmentation appear to tell the story. So we'll go with the favoring and selection of albinism until convinced otherwise. Visualize the folks holed up in their sheltering caves with those of the albino persuasion: troglodyte true believers patiently breeding away their dark hued heritage one night at a time.

Whiteness, as such, remained a regional quirk until one day it was unleashed upon the rest of the world. Under the Ostrogoths,Crusaders, Explorers and Conquistadors brown people felt the sword; as happens to this day whenever darker skin is encountered. All in all, that white skin was perfect for stripping naked, painting your self blue and going on the warpath. Still is.

(Authors Note) Recent DNA findings by paleogeneticists has presented new evidence regarding the ancestry of our species. See "Neanderthal: the First Caucasian?"
http://noabominoidshere.blogspot.com/2010/05/neanderthal-first-caucasian.html
for an update. Robert Magill, Sarasota, FL