Melanin, the substance giving our skin its color.

Melanin is a biological molecule which determines the color of our skin.

There are three types of Melanin: Eumelanin, Pheomelanin, and Neuromelanin.

Neuromelanin is a dark pigment found in particular regions of the brain. Scientists believe neuromelanin protects neurons from toxins and oxidative stress. The regulation of dopamine levels is also believed to be heavily influenced by neuromelanin.

The presence of eumelanin is what determines light brown to dark colors in the skin, as well as colors of the eyes and hair. Brown to dark skin is extremely rich in eumelanin; meaning the more eumelanin someone has, the darker their skin will be.

An essential function of eumelanin is to protect the skin from harmful UV rays (ultraviolet radiation) which the Sun emits. Eumelanin has the ability to absorb a wide range of energy which comes from the Sun, including harmful energy such as UV rays, before they get deep into our skins. UV rays have the potential to damage skin cells and cause sun burn and sun cancer. Therefore, the less eumelanin one possesses, the more vulnerable they are to skin diseases. The more eumelanin one possesses, the greater protection they have from these harmful Sun rays.

Regions on Earth near the equator experience a greater intensity of Sunlight, including UV rays. Therefore as humans started in Africa, near the equator, it was necessary for our bodies to contain high levels of eumelanin to protect us from the deeply penetrating rays of the Sun. As humans began migrating into environments exposed to less sunlight, our bodies no longer found it necessary to continue producing high levels of eumelanin. Yet when humans migrated out of Africa into places still near the equator, our bodies continued to produce eumelanin. This is why Indians, Aboriginal Australians, indigenous Southeast Asians, and Native Americans tend to possess brown to darker skin colors, along with Africans.

Pheomelanin, the third type of melanin, also determines the color of the skin, hair, and eyes. This type of melanin is less common, and is usually found in individuals with pale or very light, or “white” skin. This type of melanin produces reddish-yellow pigments, instead of the brown and black pigments produced by eumelanin. Pheomelanin does not offer the same level of protection against UV rays as eumelanin. This is because pheomelanin simply is not designed to absorb as much energy from the sun as eumelanin.

Melanin, in general, is passed down from generation to generation in the form of genes. The genes encoded into our DNA provides our body with the instructions necessary to produce the necessary levels of melanin which will help us survive and prosper in our environments.