Page 134 - Miracles Within the Molecule

HArun yahya

Melanın: Another Color-Producıng Molecule
Melanin mol e cu les are held togeth er by the bonds that form the
car o tene mol e cu les. By means of these bonds, mel a nin is able to absorb
all the wave lengths of light that strike it, which is why an object con tain -
ing mel a nin appears dark. Melanin mol e cu les bond to pro tein mol e cu -
les and accu mu late in gran ules whose col ors vary from yel low to
brown, and even black. These gran ules impart their col ors to our skin
and hair, which may be brown or black, depend ing on how the mol e cu -
les accu mu late in the gran ules.
Melanin is also a com po nent of the cha me leon's color-chang ing
mech a nism: The mol e cule is car ried by chan nels inside the skin, where
it cov ers up bright er pig ments in the lower lay ers. Animals like the octo -
pus, which can swift ly dark en its col ors, also make use of this mol e cule,
and in the same man ner. Color chan ges take place in their bod ies as a
result of the spread ing of mel a nin gran ules. When the mel a nin gran ules
clus ter togeth er once more, the color of the skin light ens.
When fruit goes rot ten, mel a nin of dif fer ent kinds also forms. The
decay ing fruit's cell walls become dam aged, and these mem branes
cause an enzyme called phe nol ox i dase to go into action with in the cell.
This enzyme is not found in lemons, mel ons or toma toes. However, the
brown ing that accom pa nies decay in fruit such as peach es is the result
of mel a nin mol e cu les. Melanin is also the mol e cule respon si ble for the
dark color of tea. 61
Do not assume, on the basis of the
infor ma tion pro vid ed above, that the mel -
a nin mol e cule alone is respon si ble for pro -
duc ing col ors. It not only imparts color,
but also pro tects against ultra vi o let rays
and vis i ble light. By way of mel a nin, your
skin is pro tect ed against harm ful and solar
rays. Were it not for this pig ment, your
skin would soon red den and blis ter from

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