Over a Hundred Genes Responsible for Skin “Color”

The color-absorbing pigment melanin produces the hair, skin, and eye color of every human. And recently, researchers from the University of Oklahoma and Stanford University identified 169 genes involved in melanin production, 135 of which were not “previously associated with pigmentation.”

The study not only proves that human skin “color” is more complicated and complex than scientists previously thought, but it also confirms that we are all one race, the human race. There are no truly white or truly black people; we are all varying shades of brown. This study confirms the Bible’s account of history: As people groups spread throughout the world from the tower of Babel, the genetic diversity packed into our DNA produced the spectrum of skin shades that we see in the world today. This genetic diversity originated with the first people, Adam and Eve, designed by our Creator from the beginning.

This article is from Answers magazine, January–March, 2024, p. 19.