You lucky dog: Black fur may be tied to better health

Animals with black skin or fur are not black by chance, suggests new research, but because the dark coloration helps them live longer. The finding adds to the growing body of evidence that black coloration isn't just a product of genetic drift — happenstance in the course of evolution The coloration stems from melanism, or development of the dark-colored pigment melanin in the skin and its appendages (fur, hair, eyelashes, etc.). How melanism directly ties to better health, however, remains a ...