Why do different races have different skin colors?
Ever wondered why your blonde neighbor tans beautifully in summer and you, with green eyes and auburn hair just turn a painful shade of red when you sunbathe? We’re each the product of hundreds of years of genetic evolution dating back to when our bloodline ancestors lived in warmer or colder climates. Our natural skin color is dictated by the amount of the pigment called melanin in our skin. It’s actually made by cells called melanocytes which are found in the deepest granular layers of the epidermis, and it’s the way our skin protects itself from sunburn. Exposure to the sun triggers the melanocytes to release melanin to protect the other cells in the deepest part of the skin from the harm caused by the sun’s ultraviolet rays. However, this protection is often not enough to stop burning, particularly in fair-skinned, light-haired people who have less melanin. People with darker skin have more melanin, tan more easily as the pigment released by the melanin is dark brown, changing the
