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The Biology of Skin Color

Quiz by Melissa Doubek

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8 questions
Show answers
  • Q1
    Which of the following statements about melanin is most accurate?
    Everyone has the same type of melanin, but the amount varies from person to person.
    The more brown-black melanin an individual has in their skin cells, the more likely they are to get mutations in their DNA.
    Having melanin is one of the distinguishing features of humans compared to other animals.
    The more brown-black melanin an individual has, the darker their skin.
    30s
  • Q2
    Which of the following statements are true concerning how light interacts with the pigments in a red tomato?
    The pigments likely protect the cells in the tomato from DNA damage.
    The pigments absorb blue light.
    The pigments reflect green light.
    The pigments absorb red light.
    30s
  • Q3
    In which of the following areas of the globe would you expect to find relatively high amounts of UV radiation?
    Areas near large bodies of water.
    Areas at a latitude near the equator.
    Areas at longitudes in the western hemisphere.
    Areas with a large amount of persistent cloud cover.
    30s
  • Q4
    Which of the following statements apply to the variation in human skin color?
    The variation in human skin color correlates with in the intensity of sunlight around the world.
    Human skin color variation is primarily determined by the type and amount of food that they eat.
    The variation in human skin color cannot be quantified (or measured).
    Human skin and the skin our closest living primate relative exhibit a similar range in color variation.
    30s
  • Q5
    Darker skin is more prevalent in high-UV areas. Dr. Jabionski proposed a hypothesis to explain the selective pressure for darker skin in these environments. On what evidence did she base this hypothesis?
    In general, people of African descent have less folate, a nutrient important for human reproduction, circulating in their blood
    The melanin in darkly pigmented skin protects DNA from UV radiation, which can cause skin cancer.
    People of African descent have a very similar version of the MC1R gene, indicating what the selective pressure was for darker skin.
    The larger amount of brown-black melanin in darkly pigmented skin protects circulating folate from being destroyed by UV radiation.
    30s
  • Q6
    Human populations in low-UV environments tend to have lighter skin tones. One explanation is that the selective pressure for dark skin decreases as UV intensity decreases. At the same time, there is selection for lighter skin to absorb more UV radiation, which is needed for vitamin D production. What evidence supports the vitamin D hypothesis for the evolution of lighter skin tones?
    People with lighter skin cannot synthesize enough vitamin D in high-UV environments, such as equatorial Africa
    Some indigenous peoples living at high latitudes have darker skin, but they tend to eat foods rich in vitamin D
    In general, people with lighter skin tend to be at higher risk of vitamin D deficiency.
    Red hair and light skin are typical of people of northern European descent.
    30s
  • Q7
    Based on the risk factors discussed in the film, which of the following groups should consider taking vitamin D supplements to avoid rickets?
    Adults with dark skin who liver close to the equator.
    Adults with light skin who live far from the equator.
    Children born to parents with light skin living close to the equator.
    Children born to parents with dark skin living far from the equator.
    30s
  • Q8
    In what way does natural selection depend on the specific environment in which an organism lives?
    When the environment changes, traits that were beneficial to an organism may become harmful and vice versa.
    When an organism enters a new environment, it evolves all of the traits it needs to survive there.
    Natural selection produces traits that are always either helpful or harmful regardless of the environment.
    Natural selection is random, and the direction of the selective pressure cannot be predicted base on the environment.
    30s

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