Question: Why are some people born colorless (albino)? This happens to animals too, why?

Jason King answered on 13 Mar 2013:

Your skin colour is made by a protein called melanin. This is made by special cells in the skin called melanocytes, and forms a protective cap over the nuclei of cells to protect them from sunlight. When you go out in the sun, this stimulates more melanin to be produced and you get darker and get a sun tan. This is also why some races have black skin, as the have evolved to make lots more melanin all the time, to protect them from the stronger sun in the areas they have come from. Albinism happens when you get a mutation that means you have no melanocytes, so you cannot make melanin at all. This means your body cannot make any dark colouring so you get very pale skin and pink eyes. This is the same for all mammals, as well all use the same method to protect ourselves from the sun, and makek our skin and hair dark.