What causes your skin colour to be darker or lighter? Scientists say it’s in your genes and have established a genetic link to the skin colour.
Kumarasamy Thangaraj at the CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad, in collaboration with Estonian Biocentre have published some insights into this phenomenon in the online edition of The Journal of Investigative Dermatology.
In the current study, the research team found another variant (rs2470102), which contributes to skin pigmentation variation in the subcontinent. The authors have found that social structure defined by the caste system has a “profound influence on skin pigmentation”.
“Our study clearly reflects the profound influence of the strict marriage patterns and multi-layered endogamy adding further to the variation in skin color contributing to the mosaic of skin tones” says Chandana Basu, researcher at Estonian Biocentre, Tartu, Estonia.