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Mollie Lewis
Bella Fiorentino
Rachel Flygare
Alyson Clarke
Kiara Malm
Caitlin Hartnett

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Q6: Is there a correlation with vitamin D deficiency and amount of melanin in skin?
A:Yes, Melanin affects how light or dark your skin color is. The more melanin, the darker your skin color is. The amount of melanin you have affects the amount of vitamin D you can produce. Melanin protects from too much UVB exposure, so darker skin with more melanin allow less UVB to enter. When there's less UVB getting to the skin, less vitamin D is produced. If you’re dark skinned, you need more sun exposure to make vitamin D than if you’re fair skinned.
(https://www.vitamindcouncil.org/about-vitamin-d/how-do-i-get-the-vitamin-d-my-body-needs/)

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Q:  How does melanin function differ between people closest to the equator vs furthest from the equator? Add picture and sources.
A:  People closer to the equator have a higher production of dark colored melanin, which acts like a protection barrier or an umbrella, to shield from the high amounts of solar radiation. As for the people further away from the equator, they have a much lower production of melanin because there is not as much solar radiation towards the poles. Due to the lower amount of melanin in the epidermis of people away from the equator they can collect enough sunlight to make vitamin D.
(picture- https://qph.ec.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-d28fae5926c220ba105c84b0ba89889d-c?convert_to_webp=true )

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Q: Write out the layers of the epidermis from superficial to deep. Give a brief description of each layer.
A: Stratum Corundum : 20-30 dead, horny layers
Stratum Lucidium: Only in thick layers of skin
Stratum Granulosum: grainioles
Stratum Spinosum: Most layers; location of Keratinocyte
Stratum  Basale: Actively Miotic; location of melanocytes

Site of picture: PODKAMORSKI CANVAS AND NOTES

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Q: How is vitamin D synthesized in the body?
A: The skin cells absorb the ultraviolet rays, and turns it into vitamin D which then goes into your bloodstream, kidneys, and liver.

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Q: Is there a correlation with skin cancer and the amount of melanin in the skin?
A: Yes, melanoma, or skin cancer,  is more common for people with a lower amount of melanin, because they do not have a strong melanin barrier, however anyone, no matter what race, can get skin cancer because melanin can only protect you from the sun to a certain extent.
(source- http://www.skincancer.org/prevention/skin-cancer-and-skin-of-color )

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Q:  Location of melanocytes and the overall function. Add picture and sources.
A:  Melanocytes are found in the stratum basal layer of the epidermis, and its overall function is to synthesize melanin.
(picture- http://static.wixstatic.com/media/182be9_7867ce800fc84822bf54a3e6d1a95c5e.png/v1/fill/w_626,h_488/182be9_7867ce800fc84822bf54a3e6d1a95c5e.png )

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Q. What is the benefit of vitamin D? What happens if you are vitamin D defienent?
A. The role of vitamin D is promoting healthy bones, mainly by promoting the absorption of calcium. low levels of vitamin D can lead to osteoporosis and osteomalacia. (Webmd.org)