Melanin is a polymer, most often of br two molecules with very long names, br indolequinone, and dihydroxyindole carboxylic acid, br which are in all of us, affecting br skin and hair color and even br present in the eye and its color br and the brain too; the word br comes from the Greek for ‘black’ br br It is believed that all of us whose ancestors br lived near the Equator, and br that could be all of us yeah br originally had black skins, br inherited suntan if you like br but that those who moved up north br got whiter – which helped br to absorb Vitamin D from the sparse sunlight and br stave off rickets and such. br br All pretty cool so far, right? br br My clever schooldays friend br later researched melanin br finding in the course of his studies br that a rubber factory in South America somewhere, br tires I think not condoms br used a compound that accidentally turned br black-skinned workers into white br which caused some social consternation br br So, are you wondering where this poem br Is going? Or is it a bit too obvious? br Well, I’ll stop there, and br you can follow it up yourself. br No point in spelling it out br In black and white.