Zebrafish Demystify Human Skin Color Variation and Develop a Basis for Pigmentation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47611/jsrhs.v11i3.2840Keywords:
zebrafish, human skin color, genetics, skin pigmentation, race and society, Keith Cheng, golden gene, science communicationAbstract
Human skin color was demystified due to zebrafish and their genes. The paper focuses on three main aspects of the study: the methods and experiments scientists designed with zebrafish and humans, the impacts of the results, and the current level of understanding by a general audience. The paper relies on secondary sources, photographs, and a survey. Secondary data and examples are evaluated using the following criteria: information on the gene and its function, information on its relation to humans, and a larger picture analysis. The paper follows the sequence of the experiment. Photographs are taken to study and compare the pigmentations of two types of zebrafish, and how they were utilized in the experiment. A survey is circulated to a general audience to gauge the current level of knowledge surrounding reasons behind pigmentation in humans. The findings explain the methods scientists used to identify significant genes in zebrafish and humans. Through the identification and study of these genes, scientists developed an evolutionary and genetic basis behind human skin color. The survey shows that the majority of respondents were unfamiliar with the experiments and the scientific community’s insight into human skin color. This study raises awareness to the general public about the basis for human skin color. This experiment can be applied to further study other organisms or investigate different aspects of humans.
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