[sowhat]

Melanin, Carotene, and hemoglobin are the 3 pigments that give the skin a wide variety of colors. The amount of melanin is located mostly on the epidermis, causes the skin color to vary from pale yellow to tan black. Because the melanocytes are about the same in all races, differences in skin color are due mainly to the amount of pigment the melanocytes produce and disperse to keratinocytes. Melanocytes synthesize melanin from the amino acid tyrosinase and exposure to UV light increases enzymatic activity within melansomes hence increasing malanin production which gives the darker color and UV radiation protection.

HOPE THIS HELPS!;-)

[Xuxa]

Can I be blunt...you should have tukanad the guy KUMBAFU coz he is obviously demented. Look at the simplest things like nature....are all things the same. Even fish have variations in their colors. And what was the purpose/aim of this discussion. Depending on the context, eg. if it was to say that the darker the dummer...thats just opening a whole can of a!s!s whopping!!!!

[dun1]

"White" people are more genetically similar than Africans. Humanity started in Africa and from there migrations of people spread to the other regions in the world. In Africa we have the oldest history of humanity as we know it (homo-sapien) and with it more genetic mutations in our population. Hence the broad spectrum of features (height, body shape, color) compared to Europeans who have less mutations and have a more homogenoous appearance.

[slaggard]

carotene??????? i thought this pigment was found in plants such as carrots not skin. i stand to be corrected on this.
skin shades are a result of enviromental exposure.however, some genetic coding can result in some people having a lighter skin than others. so, the shade is a result of the skin been subjected to enviromental conditions or genetic makeup. as someone said...the skin gets blacker after exposure to hot sunlight....paler during winter or after spending a long time in water(why are north europeans much whiter than american whites). crosses between partners of various shades, mutations, evolutionary changes, enviromental conditions,,,,, all come in handy to explain why we have some black people who are blacker or white people who are whiter.




WALKS ON FOUR IN THE MORNING, TWO AT AT NOON, AND 3 IN THE EVENING.....???

[wordapeople]

Countryboy,
Well to me I think that Shidanyingi and Sowhat have actually given you the answer in detail.

Lakini cause I like your vibes let me put my two sense.

Without going into deep detail the melanocytes which produce melanin are almost equal in all individuals except that they vary in
-size
-number
-the distribution of the melnin granules
This variation Countryboy are the reason why we have different skin tones.

The production of this melanin also depends on
-genetic inheritance
-an individual's recent exposure to sunlight hence the reason Lale and Monique experience a tanning effect on their skin tone it is because the ultraviolet radiation stimulates the melanocytes to produce more melanin.

By the way CB not to diverge attention from your thread lakini that vibe on nusery rhymes and those pictures of slavery were something else.
Keep digging some of us are definately learning.


Wordapeople.

[SHEILA]

It really jazzes me when I see African Americans claiming to be half white or cherokee (which maybe the case for some) just because they are light skinned or have wavy hair.
In a way it is the slave mentality that anything black is inferior thus when mixed it gets better. As you all have seen in Africa, there are guyz who are all black with no mixture and are various skin tones and hair textures.

[countryBoy]

SHiela now that was my argument...that in Afrcia there folks who are bila white in their damu but are light and all.

NOw thanks for all the bio explanations but thats not whatim really lookin for......how do u break all that biology into lay mans language?....cos trying to explain that to an american( no offense) unless their a bio major hiyo ni shida unatafuta..

Now as for being light skin in the winter and darker in the summer......me ive just become darker ever since i set foot here so for my case i rule out enviroment.

[sowhat]

>carotene??????? i thought this pigment
>was found in plants such as carrots not
>skin. i stand to be corrected on this.
>skin shades are a result of enviromental
>exposure.however, some genetic coding
>can result in some people having a
>lighter skin than others. so, the shade
>is a result of the skin been subjected
>to enviromental conditions or genetic
>makeup. as someone said...the skin gets
>blacker after exposure to hot
>sunlight....paler during winter or after
>spending a long time in water(why are
>north europeans much whiter than
>american whites). crosses between
>partners of various shades, mutations,
>evolutionary changes, enviromental
>conditions,,,,, all come in handy to
>explain why we have some black people
>who are blacker or white people who are
>whiter.
SLA
>
NOTE THAT MY SENTENCE READS "
>Melanin, Carotene, and hemoglobin are the 3 pigments that give the skin a wide variety of colors." DO YOU SEE ANYWHERE STATING THAT CAROTENE IS FOUND ON THE SKIN? HEMOGLOBIN GIVES THE SKIN A RED COLOR: CAROTENE GIVES THE SKIN A YELLOWISH COLOR-MEANING IF YOU DRINK A LOT OF CARROT JUICE YOUR PALMS ARE SOON GONNA START TURNING YELLOW CAUSE OF CAROTENE AND IF YOU ARE VERYLIGHTSKINNED OR WHITE THEN YOU TURN YELLOW LIKE YOU HAVE "JAUNDICE" AND MELANIN IS RESPOSIBLE FOR THE DARKNESS OF THE SKIN! QUESTIONS?;-)

[observant]

I agree with Shiela's point, It's kinda disturbing how a majority of the African American community, if asked about their ancestry, will try to fix in some country in Europe, eg one Akata guy told me "My mum's mum's dad was from Germany, that's why my hair is wavy the way it is", and the jamaa telling you that is blacker than dark ( unless there were black Germans 4 generations ago..the days of hitler), his hair was clearly a product of S-Curl or Pro-line ( hair texturizer for men)..I could tell coz his hair was wavy on the top but near the scalp it was verrrry naturral-->like mine

[Konfuzed]

brrr way too confusing!!!:o