Required reading . I had been invited to serve on the student's dissertation committee. When I read the quotation, I assumed the student had made an error in copying it. I went to the library and looked up the article the student had cited. In laboratory studies, 'melanosomes' from human skin can inhibit microoganisms, says Mackintosh.
Melanin is a sticky molecule.
The bacteria and fungi get all tangled up, and it stops them from proliferating. Also, a protein called attractin is known to regulate both melanisation and immunity in humans, suggesting a link between the two. Such beliefs are unfortunately common. This book demonstrates how such irrationality results from ignoring obvious comparisons, while instead falling into associational and story-based thinking. Such beliefs are unfortunately common.