A Glimpse Into Albinism essays

A Glimpse Into Albinism essays Physiological changes have been taking place ever since the first organisms appeared on Earth. These changes have led to the tremendous variation we see in modern humans today. To try and explain these differences, scientists use human fossil remains as well as other primate remains to trace evolutionary similarities. Important fields of study such as anthropology, biology, primatology and paleoanthropology also help in the attempt to adequately explain human anatomical differences and their reasons for occurring (Jolly 9-10). A commonly misunderstood and extremely interesting example of human variation is albinism. Nearly one in every 17,000 people has some form of albinism and the United States has reported over 18,000 such cases. Sufferers of albinism exhibit very little or have no pigment in their skin, eyes and hair. Strangely enough, parents of those who have this condition in most cases have hair, eye and skin color that are typical of their race and it is rare for there to be a family history of it (Haefemeyer 55-56). Sufferers of albinism have inherited a malfunctioned and altered copy of their parents gene that codes for melanin production. This is most commonly known as autosomal recessive inheritance, where if both parents carry a gene for albinism, there is a one in four chance that their baby will inherit the disease. This lack of melanin in their pigment can cause a plethora of health problems for anyone who suffers from a form of albinism. Melanin, also known as a photoprotective pigment, serves to absorb the suns ultraviolet light to minimize damage to the skin. Normally, sun exposure results in an increase of melanin production, or a tan, but albinism suffers usually dont have any melanin pigment in the first place. Therefore, they are much more susceptible to sun burns and skin cancers. There are ways to reduce the amount of damage done to their skin. The most common and obvious...