2006-08-16 06:37:49 · 6 answers · asked by Shea Butta 3 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Biology
It's a genetic trait, just like eye color, hair color, and blood type. However, like these traits, skin color is determined by more than one gene. While Melanin (expressed in little inclusion bodies in your skin) gives you part of your pigment, but it's also contributed by the amount of heme (iron) containing compounds and carotenoids (like beta-carotene or vitamin A) that is found in your skin. Many genes regulate how much each of these is present, therefore the mixture of those genes will determine how dark or light, how yellow or tan, or how white or red your skin is.
When you have a child, certain amounts of these traits will be determined as dominant - they will override the genetics of a particular parent. Thus, some colors will show up over others - and some will be a mixture of the two. You can't really predict how a skin color will emerge in a child, but you can get a certain range based on what colors the parents had - if both parents were light skinned, their child will be likely be light; thus, if both parents were dark skinned, their child will be dark. However, you have any mixtures of the above - or some latent genes that you are not expressing (say, from a distant ancestor) and you'll see some variation.
2006-08-16 06:59:37 · answer #1 · answered by michelsa0276 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It's genetics: in the case of skin color, usually offspring will have a "combination" of the mother's and father's skin color, it's not one or the other. So if you look at people who's parents are of mixed races, the children usually are of intermediate color.
2006-08-16 13:43:34 · answer #2 · answered by natureutt78 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Skin colour is passed on through genes. I assume there are a lot of genes controlling skin colour, one of them would have to be the gene that encodes the enzymes that make melatonin, the pigment which makes skin darker. The more melatonin you have the darker your skin.
2006-08-16 13:45:38 · answer #3 · answered by heidavey 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
For the exact kind of color that you desire, genetic engineering is the only way to do it. But, the procedures are pains-taking and expensive and requires invitro fertilization. Believe me, it will cost you the moon.
2006-08-16 14:06:05 · answer #4 · answered by Rabindra 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Genes.
2006-08-16 13:42:38 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
what do you mean?...genes
2006-08-16 13:42:59 · answer #6 · answered by Me luv u long time 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋