Red and Yellow, Black and White?

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A popular children’s song reminds us that Jesus loves the little children, “red and yellow, black and white.” But are humans really those colors? No!

You see, we all have a pigment in our skin called melanin. This is a brownish pigment, and your DNA determines how much melanin your body produces. Some people produce a small amount, others produce a lot. And how much melanin your body produces determines what shade of skin you have. You see, every person has the same color of skin—brown!—just different shades.

So maybe that children’s song should say, “Jesus loves the little children, shades of brown from dark to light.”

Dig Deeper

• How Did People Get Different Skin Colors?
• Human Skin “Color” More Complicated Than Previously Thought