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Questions tagged [pigmentation]

Pigmentation refers to the coloration in plants or animals due to the presence of pigment in the tissue.

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8 votes
2 answers
4k views

Why do people have darker skin in sunnier climates?

I don't understand why darker skin is advantageous in hotter climates. Wouldn't it absorb more of the heat? I have heard that it reduces the incidence of cancer, but I would think absorbing more ...
Casebash's user avatar
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209 votes
4 answers
34k views

Why are so few foods blue?

Although blue foods exist, they're rare enough compared to other foods for food preparers to use blue plasters as a convention. The natural colour of a given food is due to pigments that have some ...
J.G.'s user avatar
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21 votes
3 answers
5k views

Why does hair turn grey or white, and why does it happen later for some?

The question is pretty simple: what is happening molecularly when hair turns grey or white? I would imagine that it is due to the lack of a particular compound. I'm also interested in why some people'...
LanceLafontaine's user avatar
12 votes
5 answers
25k views

Does darker skin color make it easier to live under sun?

I have always thought darker colors absorb more heat from the sun, so if you are wearing a white T-shirt you will be cooler under sun than wearing a darker T-shirt, or a black piece of steel will be ...
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12 votes
1 answer
5k views

Why is chlorophyll green? Isn't there a more energetically favorable color? [duplicate]

Chlorophyll being green means it absorbs light in the red and blue area of the spectrum. Isn't this the high and low energy light? Wouldn't plants get more energy if they absorbed light in the green ...
Sarah Toufiq's user avatar
19 votes
2 answers
62k views

Why do we assume that the first humans were dark-skinned?

According to the article Dark skin and blue eyes: How Europeans once looked: It is widely accepted that Man's oldest common forefather was dark skinned, and that people became more pale as they ...
anomal's user avatar
  • 301
7 votes
1 answer
12k views

What causes the colors we see in eyes?

Genetics aside, what are the biochemical reasons for the different colours of human irises? Also, related, how does eye colour change, particularly in childhood? (example: my eyes used to be blue,...
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6 votes
1 answer
4k views

The colour of aquatic plants found deep under oceans

I have read that many aquatic plants found in deep oceans are red in colour, however, I do not understand why. As red is the color which gets the least scattered it should be the only light available ...
Reader Manifold's user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
859 views

Photosynthetic Pigments vs. Chloroplasts

What is the difference between Photosynthetic Pigments and Chloroplasts? I know plants have both but Prokaryotes (Bacteria and Archeae) only have the former.
Frank's user avatar
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4 votes
1 answer
3k views

What hair color will result in someone inheriting both blond and ginger genes?

Both the genes for blond hair and ginger hair are recessive, so they need both parents to give the same gene for it to take affect. What happens when a person has 1 copy of a recessive gene and ...
SIMEL's user avatar
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4 votes
1 answer
2k views

Skin color explanation?

I do not understand how skin color in humans work, even after taking a basic genetics course and reading some on wikipedia. From what I understand, skin is color based on multiple genes that control ...
Ro Siv's user avatar
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0 votes
1 answer
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Why are human eye colours limited?

Related to the question What causes the colors we see in eyes?, I am wondering why human eyes are restricted in colour. Most common eye colours are blue, green and brown. Why not yellow, orange, ...
Bram Vanroy's user avatar