INTEGBI 35AC Lecture Notes - Red Hair, Collagen, Rickets
23 Oct 2013
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Document Summary
Seeing color is beneficial for primates visual animals: can see what berries and fruits are good, care what people look like. Why study skin color: represents product of 500 million years of evolution. An adaptation is something that enhances the survival and survival and reproductive success of an organism in a particular environment: skin color is not adaptive. Skin color is just a side effect for selection for something else. Sexual selection: skin color is adaptive. Darker skin protects against uvr (sunburn, damage to sweat glands, skin cancer) Measure skin color by reflection as opposed to based on a palette: more reflection = lighter skin. Color in skin based on (mainly) melanin, carotene and hemoglobin: melanin is on the base of the epidermis acts as a natural sunscreen, skin: 9lbs, 2 square meters, primarily collagen and water. Mc1r gene: melanoctorin 1 receptor makes protein that controls hair and skin color. Abundant among non-africans and chimps, not in europe.
