Genetic Plot Twist: New Discovery Challenges Our Understanding of Skin Tone and Ancestry
Source: Scitech Daily, October 2023
Geneticists have conducted research to understand the genetic origins of skin pigmentation variations among different ethnicities, revealing that genes associated with East Asian and Native American ancestry are responsible for their lighter skin tones. This discovery provides insights into skin cancer prevention and treatment, as Europeans with similar skin tones have higher melanoma rates.
The discovery could have implications for the prevention of certain skin cancers
A team of Penn State geneticists is pursuing the answers to an age-old question of human biology: the genetic origin of fundamental variations in skin pigmentation between people of different ethnicities. The link between skin pigmentation and ethnicity is more complicated than previously believed, according to a recent study published in the journal eLife.
The team has confirmed that genes associated with East Asian and Native American ancestry, rather than the genes underpinning lighter skin in people with European ancestry, explain the lighter skin of people of East Asian and Native American descent. Learning what genes are responsible for regulating skin tone, depending on a person’s ancestral origin, has broad implications for genetic research, according to the team, especially as it relates to preventing or treating certain skin cancers.