Dark skin

Dark Skin

Dark skin is a type of human skin color that is rich in melanin pigments, especially eumelanin. The evolution of dark skin is believed to have begun around 1.2 million years ago, in light-skinned early hominid species after they moved from the equatorial rainforest to the sunny savannas.

Pronunciation

/dɑːrk skɪn/

Etymology

The term "dark skin" is derived from the Old English words "deorc" (dark) and "scinn" (skin).

Related Terms

• Melanin: A pigment that determines the color of the skin, hair, and eyes in humans and animals. It is produced by cells called melanocytes.
• Eumelanin: The type of melanin that gives hair and skin its dark color.
• Melanocytes: Cells located in the bottom layer of the skin's epidermis that produce melanin.
• Pheomelanin: A type of melanin that is yellow and red in color. People with lighter skin and hair have more pheomelanin than eumelanin.
• Hominid: A primate of a family (Hominidae) that includes humans and their fossil ancestors.

See Also

• Skin color
• Human skin color
• Melanin
• Eumelanin
• Melanocytes
• Pheomelanin
• Hominid

External links

• Medical encyclopedia article on Dark skin
• Wikipedia's article - Dark skin

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