• Question: i asked like 5 questions in the live that and not one scientist answered :( One of them was 'Why do we have different skin colours' ??

    Asked by xmishmashx to Alex, Jools, Lynz, Matt, Rika on 16 Jun 2011.
    • Photo: Lyndsey Fox

      Lyndsey Fox answered on 15 Jun 2011:

      Hi xmishmashx,

      I’m not an expert in this area, but I’ll give it a go….

      Human skin colour is primarily due to the presence of melanin (a pigment) in the skin, melanin is produced by cells called melanocytes.

      Melanocytes produce two types of melanin: pheomelanin (red) and eumelanin (very dark brown). Both the amount and type of melanin produced is controlled by the various genes we inherit from our parents.

      Hope this helps, a biologist will know much much more on the subject than me though!

    • Photo: Chandrika Nair

      Chandrika Nair answered on 16 Jun 2011:

      Yes, differences in melanin levels cause colour differences. Dark skin (high melanin) is thought to protect from UV damage (that’ why some people tan when exposed to the sun). Light skin might have evolved in places with low sunlight because there are some vitamins you need sunlight for (vitamin D) and people with darker skin (me included) can suffer from deficiencies because they absorb light less well.

    • Photo: Matthew Dickinson

      Matthew Dickinson answered on 16 Jun 2011:

      Sorry this question has me a little stumped (not sure).

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