Why Do Humans Have Such Varied Skin Colors?

Skin color is like a person’s natural sun umbrella. People with more sun protection (called melanin) have darker skin, while those with less have lighter skin. It helps people live better in different places on Earth, near the equator or far away from it.

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Examples

A person who lives in a sunny country might have darker skin than someone who lives in a colder place.
Children born to parents with very different skin colors often end up with a color that’s somewhere in between.
People with light skin sometimes get sunburned more easily than people with dark skin.

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Categories: Biology · skin color· genetics· evolution· biology· human variation