May is Melanoma Awareness Month May 16, 2008
Leesville Daily Leader - Sports. Friday, May 16, 2008. (Leesville Daily Leader, LA)
Think right, move right May 15, 2008
People love to point towards the amount of melanin but not the most important fact his character. By Taxpayer. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Prevent skin problems in summer May 7, 2008
This is because exposure to sun activates the melanin to rise to the upper layers thereby increasing pigmentation. The treatment is in the form of. (India Times, India)
10 steps to keep skin safe in and out of the sun May 2, 2008
Babies have little melanin, the pigment that gives color to skin, hair and eyes and provides some sun protection. But since infants delicate skin is too sensitive for sunscreen, protect those under 6 months with long sleeves, pants and sun hats as well as sun umbrellas or hooded strollers. (MSNBC -- Health)
Fun in the sun ... screen Apr 16, 2008
Tanning works because the ultraviolet light from the sun or tanning bed causes melanocytes in the bottom-most layer of the epidermis to release the skin-darkening pigment melanin. Melanin then protects the skin from further skin damage caused by UV radiation ... The bad news is that dyeing your skin does not magically protect you from sun damage, because there is no increased melanin to prevent UV overexposure -- much like dyeing your hair blonde does not make you a blonde -- so you still need... (The Cavalier Daily, VA)
Bill Cosby and the History of the Black Family Apr 15, 2008
A play that dramatizes the argument that melanin makes people of color smarter ... But the question still remains: Does melanin make black folk smarter. (Slate)
Tanning industry claims beds do not cause skin cancer, dermatologists disagree Apr 11, 2008
First, since melanoma is mainly caused by sunburn, "controlling" tanning helps prevent melanoma by building up the protective pigment of melanin. Second, ultraviolet (UV) light exposure helps the skin produce vitamin D, which can aid in preventing types of cancer, such as colon and breast. (The New Hampshire, NH)
MISSING IN ACTION The Ten Commandments have been missing from the Foundations of American Law and Government display in the Grayson County Courthouse since a temporary injunction was ordered in 2002. Apr 6, 2008
Open Your Mind wrote on Apr 5, 2008 8:04 AM:" Sharks and alligators HAVE evolved, be it very little. They are very well suited for their environment in their current state, therefore why evolve. Evolution takes place based due to many things-- natural selection, mutation, genetic drift--with natural selection being near the top of the list usually. SInce sharks and alligators have had very little selective pressures in the form of predators or competition, why evolve if their current state is... (Leitchfield Grayson County, KY)
53 easy ways to change your look Mar 26, 2008
If you have age spots, blotchy pigment, or old acne marks, start using a treatment product that contains hydroquinone, which blocks new pigment (melanin) formation in the skin. You can get a prescription from your dermatologist, but many doctors believe that 2 percent hydroquinone, available over the counter, when combined with at least 7 percent glycolic acid (found in cleansers, moisturizers, and peels), can give results as good as prescription formulations. (CNN)
Excuses, new mom, tactics Mar 22, 2008
Excepting the n word or related nasty words, I should be able to say whatever the flip I want to, and not be accused of some inbred ongoing prejudice for an entire group of people whose melanin content is different from mine, when my real prejudice is against self-righteous, santimonious ayy-holes of any color. Furthermore, stop making fun of how white my legs are. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Fatal Misconception Mar 22, 2008
Remembering (only) the horrors - International Herald Tribune. The first large-scale scientific test of family planning took place in Khanna, India, beginning in the early 1950s. (International Herald Tribune -- Arts)
Black Fungus Found in Chernobyl Eats Harmful Radiation Mar 3, 2008
Melanin is found in many, if not most, fungal species ... "Just as the pigment converts sunlight into chemical energy that allows green plants to live and grow," so might melanin help fungi make use of ionizing radiation, said nuclear medicine specialist Ekaterina Dadachova at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine ... They consistently found that ionizing radiation significantly boosted the growth of fungi that contained melanin. (Fox News)
Skin Cancer Prevention and Early Detection (2) Mar 1, 2008
In response to their injury, melanocytes release melanin and that creates the tanned look. The World Health Organization makes a strong case for regulations governing tanning bed use, especially for those less than 18 years of age. (Helena Independent Record, MT)
How Skin Color Is Determined Feb 28, 2008
When the researchers knocked out NCKX5 in melanocytes (the skin cells that manufacture the melanin pigment), melanin production decreased dramatically ... While they plan on teasing out the exact biological mechanism, Ginger and colleagues propose that NCKX5 could play a direct role in the trafficking decisions that influence the assembly of melanosomes, the specialized cell vesicles where melanin is produced. (Science Daily)
Black pepper could cure skin condition Feb 17, 2008
It causes pale, white patches to develop on the skin due to a lack of the pigment melanin. Melanin gives the skin its colour and helps protect it from the sun's harmful rays. (Telegraph.co.uk)
Black pepper may have other uses Feb 15, 2008
Michael Jackson has in the past attributed his gradual skin whitening to vitiligo, which destroys the melanin that gives skin its colour ... The disease, to which pop star Michael Jackson has in the past attributed his gradual skin whitening, destroys the melanin that gives skin its colour ... Melanin protects from ultraviolet rays, so victims of vitiligo run a much greater risk of contracting skin cancer. (Globe and Mail)
Black Pepper May Help Vitiligo Feb 14, 2008
The disease, to which pop star Michael Jackson has in the past attributed his gradual skin whitening, destroys the melanin which gives skin its color. Melanin protects from ultraviolet rays so victims run a much higher risk of skin cancer. (Newsmax)
Spring Break: Computer Simulation Finds UV Rays Damage Rare DNA Shapes Feb 12, 2008
18, 2004) Blondes and redheads not only are more susceptible to skin cancer, but the source of their skin and hair pigmentation, melanin, actually magnifies the damaging effects of ultraviolet (UV) rays. . (Science Daily)
Natural Secretion Marks Difference Between Mole And Melanoma Feb 9, 2008
Melanoma is caused by the uncontrolled proliferation of melanocytes, whose pigment, melanin, protects the skin against the sun's ultraviolet rays. Nevi, which are benign, are also caused by abnormal growth and differentiation of melanocytes. (Science Daily)
Where'd Ya 00004000Get Those Baby Blues? Feb 8, 2008
Blue eyes are caused by a genetic switch, programmed to suppress the melanin. It's a genetic mutation. (CBS News)
Wooten: Nominee, date and VP Feb 5, 2008
I don t care about his uniform or about his stylish revival of the Mexico City Olympic Black Glove Look, or about the type of melanin he boasts; man s a Cracker. Capital C. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
What made those brown eyes blue Feb 1, 2008
The genetic switch is located in the gene adjacent to OCA2 and rather than completely turning off the gene, the switch limits its action, which reduces the production of melanin in the ... If the OCA2 gene had been completely shut down, our hair, eyes and skin would be melanin-less, a condition known as albinism ... They specifically looked at sequences of DNA on the OCA2 gene and the genetic mutation associated with turning down melanin production. (MSNBC -- Health)
All Blue-eyed People Are Cousins Jan 31, 2008
The OCA2 gene codes for the so-called P protein, which is involved in the production of melanin, the pigment that gives colour to our hair, eyes and skin. The switch , which is located in the gene adjacent to OCA2 does not, however, turn off the gene entirely, but rather limits its action to reducing the production of melanin in the iris effectively diluting brown eyes to blue ... If the OCA2 gene had been completely destroyed or turned off, human beings would be without melanin in their hair,... (Science Daily)
Bill Clinton: Obama Is Just Like Jesse Jackson... Jan 27, 2008
Enough of the fixation of this man's melanin count. Somebody should be asking this man hard questions about real-world issues. (The Drudge Report)
Neanderthals 'were flame-haired' Jan 19, 2008
Melanocytes produce the dark pigment called melanin which gives skin, hair and eyes their colour ... Dr Clive Finlayson, director of the Gibraltar Museum, commented: "It's extremely interesting - it makes us understand a bit more about who the Neanderthals were. "It suggests there may be a propensity towards the reduction of melanin in populations away from the tropics. (Yahoo News -- Anthropology and Archaeology)
Want Fewer Bad Hair Days? Eat Better! Jan 17, 2008
FOR ENHANCED COLOR HAIR (NON-GRAYING HAIR) Vitamin B5: prevents graying, hair loss (eggs, brewers yeast, liver, milk, sunflower seeds, peas, peanuts, beans, broccoli, bananas, mushrooms, wheat germ) Vitamin B6: helps create melanin, which gives hair its color (wheat germ, baked potato, garbanzo beans, chicken, spinach, red meat). Choose: coconut, brewer's yeast, milk, eggs, shellfish, liver. (CBS News -- US)
30 comments Jan 16, 2008
Telescoping You, Red AmericaJan 15, 2008 @ 09:44 AMI could care less whether a candidate's 23rd pair of chromosomes is XX or XY. The amount of melanin in a candidate's skin means nothing to me either. This fight between Senators Clinton and Obama is getting juvenile and obscures the fact that both of them are absolutely wrong on most every issue facing America. (Human Events Online)
Do You Know Your Skin Cancer Risk? Jan 14, 2008
Fair Skin: Naturally darker skin contains more melanin, which provides protection from UV radiation ... Tanning causes the skin to respond to DNA damage by increasing melanin production to try to fend off further damage. (Suite101.com)
Multiple Skin Cancer Risk Behaviors Are Common Among US Adults Jan 12, 2008
18, 2004) Blondes and redheads not only are more susceptible to skin cancer, but the source of their skin and hair pigmentation, melanin, actually magnifies the damaging effects of ultraviolet (UV) rays. (Dec. (Science Daily)
Mathis wants to be GM Jan 5, 2008
But I m don t have enough melanin to get your endorsement. By Answer to Dawgs2007. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Sports)
Are you getting enough vitamin D? Dec 20, 2007
Those with darker skins have more pigmentation due to melanin, a natural sunscreen, that slows the ability of skin to make the vitamin ... Ms. Gonsalves, of South Asian ancestry, hadn't been aware that melanin in skin reduced vitamin D levels, and before participating in the study had thought her skin colour gave her an advantage when it came to the nutrient ... Those with darker skin need up to six times longer to make the same amount because their higher levels of melanin act like a natural... (Globe and Mail)
THE INVINCIBLE MAN Dec 13, 2007
After the catastrophic epidemic, humans devolve without the melanin that withstands exposure to light. These ash-white Dark-Seekers attack Smith in cannibalistic hoards, a surreal image with a sociological undercurrent of lynch-mob violence. (New York Press)
Pill Will Give Real Tan in Two Days Dec 12, 2007
The pill, which is the size of a grain of rice, is implanted under the skin, where it stimulates melanin production and produces an inside-out sun-blocking tan good for two months. The pill, which uses the American-developed drug CUV1647, is being tested not for cosmetic purposes but for the protection of organ transplant patients, particularly fair-skinned ones, who are at a 100-times greater risk of skin cancer because they must take drugs that suppress the immune system. (Newsmax)
Earliest tuberculosis found in 1/2MIL-year-old human fossil Dec 9, 2007
Darker skinned peoples contain more melanin in the skin pigment that more effectively blocks ultraviolet radiation (light) from the Sun, which is what produces vitamin D in the human body. Leptomeningitus tuberculosa was found to be common in certain early-human peoples who shared the physical characteristic of being of darker skin color and of having moved from equatorial latitudes to more northern latitudes. (iTWire)
Are 500,000-year-old human remains the earliest case of TB? Dec 7, 2007
The skin pigment melanin - more abundant in darker skin - shields the body from the sun's rays, reducing damage from ultraviolet light, but also reducing vitamin D production. Professor Kappelman said: "The production of vitamin D in the skin serves as one of the body's first lines of defences against a whole host of infections and diseases.". (BBC News -- Health)
Most ancient case of tuberculosis found in 500,000-year-old human; points to modern health issues Dec 7, 2007
People with dark skin produce less vitamin D because the skin pigment melanin blocks ultraviolet light. And, when they live in areas with lower ultraviolet radiation such as Europe, their immune systems can be compromised. (EurekAlert!)
Exercising in the sun Nov 28, 2007
Tanning results from increased amounts of melanin pigment appearing in our skin on exposure to the sun. Melanin is protecting the skin from further sun exposure and damage. (iAfrica.com)
Tan pill hope for cancer fight Nov 1, 2007
The company says when the rice-size pill is put under the skin it stimulates the body's production of the pigment melanin, producing a sun-blocking tan that lasts two months ... However Clinuvel managing director Dr Philippe Wolgen said: "After two years of preparation we're excited to begin testing a treatment that is expected to prove to be a successful preventative therapy for organ transplant patients, who suffer the greatest risk from UV and sun damage. "Our drug could serve larger patient... (Melbourne Herald Sun)
Genetics Of Coat Color In Dogs May Help Explain Human Stress And Weight Nov 1, 2007
What is clear now is that this protein engages the melanocortin pathway, a circuit of molecular interactions that controls the type of melanin and amount of cortisol produced by the body ... 13, 2007) The pigment melanin, which is responsible for skin and hair color in mammals, is produced in specialized cells called melanocytes and then distributed to other cells ... 18, 2004) Blondes and redheads not only are more susceptible to skin cancer, but the source of their skin and hair pigmentation,... (Science Daily)
Fact or Fiction?: Stress Causes Gray Hair Oct 31, 2007
As keratinocytes construct hairs, neighboring melanocytes manufacture a pigment called melanin, which is delivered to the keratinocytes in little packages called melanosomes. Hair melanin comes in two shades eumelanin (dark brown or black) and pheomelanin (yellow or red) that combine in different proportions to create a vast array of human hair colors ... Hair that has lost most of its melanin is gray; hair that has lost all of this pigment is white. (Scientific American)
Stanford researchers sniff out gene that gives dogs black fur Oct 31, 2007
The study, published in the Nov. 2 issue of Science, answers a longtime mystery: What determines coat color in dogs" While researchers have known since the 1900s that most mammals share the same genetic mechanism to determine coat color, by the 1950s they began to suspect that dogs were different. Now after swabbing the inner cheeks of hundreds of dogs and analyzing the DNA in the resulting samples, a team led by genetics professor Greg Barsh, MD, PhD, has nailed the gene. To the researchers'... (EurekAlert!)
What we can learn from Krissy Deleon Oct 30, 2007
They then produce more melanin, and the melanin then surfaces and turns you tan ... UVA oxidizes the melanin that is already in your skin, turning it brown ... Although UVB is great at producing more melanin in your skin, you must be extremely careful with high levels of UVB, to not cause burning. (Lodi News Sentinel, CA)
Deadly melanoma is a skin disease that's often hard to detect Oct 23, 2007
But they can develop wherever you have melanin, the otherwise-protective brown pigment that's produced by melanocyte cells, and they can spread rapidly. "Patients will say, 'I never would have imagined something like that could make me lose my life,' " says Cranmer, a specialist in internal medicine and medical oncology. (AZCentral -- News)
Scientist James Watson flies home after Oct 21, 2007
"Skin colour as a surrogate for race is a social concept, not a scientific one." Differing skin colours is a matter of reflected light frequency variation mostly influenced by production of melanin, differences whose source is the geography of the various human sub-groups (races. and their requirement for vitamin D generated by ultra-violet light absorption and protection from the same. (Times Online)
Race, hate and DNA Oct 21, 2007
" Watson has since been suspendedby the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in Long Island, New York. He has made no further comment since the scandal broke, but it is fair to say that he has never observed any boundaries of acceptable debate a trait that is his great strength as a scientist and also his greatest failing as a social commentator. It is not the first time the 79-year-old has got into trouble for controversial comments. In 2000, the eminent professor shocked a scientific audience at the... (The Age, Australia -- Breaking News)
DNA Scientist's Race Comments Draw Outrage Oct 19, 2007
His lecture, complete with slides of bikini-clad women, argued that extracts of melanin - which give skin its color - had been found to boost subjects' sex drive. That's why you have Latin lovers, he said, according to people who attended the lecture. (CBS News)
Redheads on verge of extinction Oct 15, 2007
According to Jonathan Rees, professor of dermatology at Edinburgh University who, with his colleagues, discovered the gene (MC1R, responsible for melanin production) that creates redheads, if a person has one of several variations of the gene and if the variation is inherited from both parents, then they are likely to be red-haired. So two parents with mutant gene equals red hair. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
Make over your skin, it's easier than ever Oct 11, 2007
Gilbert and others favor Intense Pulsed Light systems, which beams non-laser light at wavelengths that are absorbed and turned into heat by unwanted melanin pigments and the hemoglobin contained in unwanted blood vessels ... says her clients like the way IPL gives sun-damaged skin a more even, youthful appearance by targeting melanin pigment. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Health)
* Women's hair loss: Getting to the root of the problem Oct 2, 2007
Fact: As people age, they lose melanin, the pigment that gives the hair color ... Hair dye interacts with the melanin already present in hair to produce the final hair color, but gray hair is less likely to dye as dark as hair that contains more melanin. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
How The Zebrafish Gets His Stripe Sep 28, 2007
Dark spots and stripes in fish, amphibians and reptiles are usually caused by a type of cell, known as a melanophore, which contains high quantities of the pigment melanin. Using time-lapse photography, the team put together movies showing how the melanophores migrate in developing embryos of both the wild-type (naturally occurring) zebrafish and the choker mutant. (Science Daily)
Rare Albino Ratfish Has Eerie, Silvery Sheen Sep 27, 2007
"Why didn't it get eaten, long before this, by some predator, for example, by a spiny dogfish so common in Puget Sound and that love to devour ratfish"" The foot-long female may have been 2 or 3 years old, Reum and Pietsch estimate, making her a teenager in the ratfish world. She was caught this summer in about 200 feet of water during a UW research project examining the food web in Hood Canal and Puget Sound. Puget Sound is the nation's second-largest estuary in the Lower 48 after Chesapeake... (Science Daily)
What gives us sunburn protects crayfish against bacteria Sep 25, 2007
The production of melanin gives us sunburns, but it also helps invertebrate animals to encapsulate attacking fungi and parasites. Uppsala University researchers, in collaboration with Korean and Thai colleagues, can now show that melanin also protects against bacterial infections, at least in crayfish ... The production of melanin is an important protective reaction that gives us a sunburn, for instance. (EurekAlert!)
Skin Cooling Associated With Increased Risk Of Discoloration After Laser Treatment Sep 19, 2007
Hyperpigmentation, when the skin's cells increase their production of the brown or black pigment melanin, is the most common adverse effect of laser treatments in dark-skinned individuals, according to background information in the article. "It is not life-threatening, but postinflammatory hyperpigmentation may cause substantial psychological problems," the authors write. (Science Daily)
Skin As A Living Coloring Book Sep 14, 2007
The pigment melanin, which is responsible for skin and hair color in mammals, is produced in specialized cells called melanocytes and then distributed to other cells ... The question of how melanin is delivered to appropriate locations may have been answered by a study from researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Cutaneous Biology Research Center (CBRC) ... Melanin, which is responsible for skin and hair color in humans and other mammals, is produced in specialized cells called... (Science Daily)
After cancer scare, Florida man develops natural sunblock Sep 12, 2007
MelanSol also contains bio-melanin, which is extracted from the fruit of the date palm and mimics the melanin the body produces naturally ... produces bio-melanin and other ingredients, like mineral proteins for skin nutrition and plant extracts for the certified organic and vegan market ... Mel-Co is the source for the bio-melanin in MelanSol. (Scripps Howard News Wire)
Scorecard: Barack 2, Hillary 0 Sep 11, 2007
Vote for the Politics not the Melanin. By pat. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Protecting the skin, the body's fragile armor Sep 5, 2007
Also embedded in the epidermis are the melanocytes, cells that make the melanin pigments that color our skin varying shades of brown, ocher and glue. Melanin serves as the skin's primary defense against excess ultraviolet radiation, and tanning is the result of stepped-up melanin production, the body's frantic effort to protect the DNA molecules of underlying skin cells from gluttonous doses of sun. (International Herald Tribune)
What does soulful mean? Sep 1, 2007
Like all readers, I want my limits to be drawn by my own sensibilities, not by my melanin count. These forms of criticism that make black women the privileged readers of a black woman writer go against Hurston's own grain. (Guardian Unlimited -- Arts)
Laser Hair Removal: the Hidden Risks Aug 29, 2007
Unfortunately, when the skin is tanned, the deeper melanin colour of the skin can also become a target. Therefore in some unfortunate cases, the patient s skin can be left patchy and mottled not the look they were expecting. (Keep the Doctor Away)
FDA To Set New Standards For Sunscreens Aug 26, 2007
As a protection against damage by UV light the skin tans by increasing the amount of melanin, a brown pigment that partially blocks the UV light. However, this is not enough to stop the damage that comes from prolonged exposure. (Medical News Today)
Scientists discover important beauty secret for balanced skin color and tone Aug 23, 2007
In turn, the keratinocytes produced chemical signals to tell melanocytes to produce more or less pigment, called melanin, as well as how to distribute that pigment. The researchers found that using keratinocytes from light-skinned individuals had a lightening effect on the bioengineered skin graft material, while keratinocytes from dark-skinned individuals had a darkening effect. (EurekAlert!)
IPL Photofacials, Microdermabrasion, Tri-Luma Cream Enhance Baby Boomers' Facelifts, Plastic Surgeon Notes Aug 22, 2007
Hyperpigmentation is the darkening of an area of skin caused by increased melanin, the substance that gives skin its color. This can be caused by sun damage, age spots, skin conditions such as melasma, medications or heredity. (Yahoo News -- Press Releases)
Interaction Of Just Two Genes Governs Coloration Patterns In Mice Aug 20, 2007
Both genes affect the type and amount of melanin in individual hairs. When both genes are turned on, the mouse is dark in color. (Science Daily)
Hair coloring goes organic at salon Aug 18, 2007
"On your head, it actually eats into your hair and destroys an amino acid that makes melanin for the natural color of your hair. They're doing studies on long-term exposure. And what happens when I wash that down the drain?". Robertson, 42, became an organic-color convert not long after his wife went into intensive care fighting a strep infection and pneumonia in April. (AZCentral -- Business)
Skin and Sunlight Aug 4, 2007
If your skin becomes tanned, it's because the cells in your skin that produce melanin, the pigment that gives your skin a darker shade, makes more of it in response to the increased UV radiation coming their way ... Melanoma, originating from the melanin-producing cells called melanocytes, is not a common skin cancer, but it is the deadliest because it is widely known to metastasize. (Suite101.com)
