2006-09-17 06:08:39 · 26 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Biology
During development, there are a group of cells in your body that form called 'neural crest cells'. These cells form along side the developing neural tube (the thing that will become your nervous system), and migrate all over the body to become a variety of different cell types. One of the things they become are melanocytes, which are like pigment cells. It's there job to produce the substance melanin. Melanin appears dark, and can absorb many different wavelengths of light very well, including the harmful UV rays. Therefore its pretty much widely accepted that melanocytes evolved in animals (and humans!) as a way to protect our bodies from sun damage. Different concetrations of melanocytes in the skin are what lead to different shades of skin color (eg; a lot of melanocytes is associated with a 'black' skin color phenotype; few melanocytes are associated with a 'white' skin phenotype). The amoun of neural crest cells that differentiate into melanocytes is driven by genetics; the quantity of melanin those cells produce, however, may be controlled to an extent by the environment (eg; the reason why people can get a 'tan'). Some people (eg; people of African descent) constitutively express melanin in their melanocytes, which is why their skin is always dark.
2006-09-17 06:48:41 · answer #1 · answered by Geoffrey B 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Genetics, which consists of DNA factors (which is hereditary) along with the amount of melanin the skin contains.....the more melanin someone has, the darker the colour of their skin........ the climate the person experiences also affects the skin colour, but to a smaller extent than the other two.......too much or too little sun can have significant effects on skin colour.
2006-09-17 15:10:30 · answer #2 · answered by J D 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The difference in the content of "Melanin" Pigment in the body varies in the colours of the skin
2006-09-18 10:33:06 · answer #3 · answered by habib 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Melanin in the skin causes the skin to darken.The more melanin the darker u are.Tanning creates more of this to protect the skin but is not good for it.So a tan is a sign of bad skin.
2006-09-17 13:41:32 · answer #4 · answered by Chase 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The higher the melanin, more darker the skin is ... it is genetical .. but can be reduced or increased to some extent thru diet and skin creams. Tablets are available for better result with free side effects.
2006-09-17 13:26:38 · answer #5 · answered by AaRoN 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
the amounts of melanin in the body
Melanin is a pigment in the body that causes different colors of skin, eyes and hair
2006-09-17 15:16:01 · answer #6 · answered by MellyMel 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
melanin is the pigment that in different proportions give different skin colours it all depends mainly on the genetics as also on the environment of the person.
2006-09-17 13:55:34 · answer #7 · answered by nik 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Melanin
2006-09-19 08:53:12 · answer #8 · answered by $/\/@ZZY G@L 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Genetics affects the amount of melanin, skin pigmentation, produced by your body. Environmental factors, like sunlight, can affect how much is produced by stimulating an increase or decrease, e.g. tanning, cold weather etc.
So it is a combination of genetics and environment.
2006-09-17 13:21:25 · answer #9 · answered by Island Girl 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Melanin
2006-09-17 13:20:50 · answer #10 · answered by Bigboi47 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋