Chapter 1 Melanin synthesis in bacteria: who, how and why -- Chapter 2 The role of melanin in fungal disease -- Chapter 3 Melanosome origins, diversity and functional relevance across animals -- Chapter 4 Biotechnological production of melanins with recombinant microorganisms -- Chapter 5 Extraction, purification, and characterization of microbial melanin pigments -- Chapter 6 Exploiting melanin-metal interactions for emerging technologies -- Chapter 7 Fundamentals and applications of optically active melanin-based materials.