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Redheads aren't going extinct.
They aren't soulless-- well, any more than anyone else is,
scientifically speaking-- and they've
been around for a long time.
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Hey, gingers and others!
Trace here from DNews to settle some old scores
about those redheaded people among us.
Now before I dive in, you can probably
tell I am not a redhead.
Although when I let my beard grow out,
I do get little red hairs, so I don't know what that means.
Anyway, redheads get a lot of flack,
so we explored some of the science behind their freckles.
Redheads have been in literature for a while.
The Oxford English Dictionary says the term "redhead" first
appeared in 1510 and it's associated
with a fair complexion and Auburn or ginger colored hair.
But the gene mutation that causes redheadedness
has been around much longer.
It came about 50,000 years ago when humans moved from Africa
into the cloudier climbs of Europe.
The redheaded human is a result of a gene mutation
on the MC1R gene, which is responsible for controlling
melanin production, probably not a surprise.
Melanin is what gives skin, eyes, and hair their color.
Blonds are also a result of the change in the MC1R gene.
New research published in the journal
Molecular Biology and Evolution discovered another mutation
that causes fairer skin complexion.
Scientists discovered it while analyzing
the DNA of 1,000 people from Spain
and figure it's our body's response
to lower vitamin D production from the lessened sun
outside of Africa.
Sadly, the mutation goes hand in hand
with lessened protection from UV rays as well.
Darker skin reflect the rays better than lighter, so fair
skin has a higher risk for melanoma, or skin cancer.
When lab rats with comparable pigmentation were tested,
50% developed melanoma before they were even
exposed to the UV light!
So get out there and get tested redheads.
So while some of those sayings about redheads are true,
rumors of redhead extinction?
Grossly exaggerated.
In 2005, the internet was abuzz with a source at the Oxford
Hair Foundation claiming the recessive gene was
disappearing.
In reality 80% of humanity carry the recessive gene
underneath their own dominate one.
It's important to note that the gene is double recessive.
So both parents must carry it to birth
their own little gingersnap.
And in total, 2% to 6% of humans in the Northern Hemisphere
and only 1% to 2% worldwide are gingers.
This rare gene mutation has been rumored
to affect other redhead traits as well.
For example, pain reception.
Even the MythBusters explored this phenomenon.
Anesthesiologists know that redheads
do need more of the lidocaine anesthetic
before surgery, about 20% more than dark haired people,
in fact.
However, when it comes to *** painkillers,
they actually need less.
This has to do with pain receptors being triggered
differently in people with MCR1 mutations.
Did you have misconceptions about redheads before?
Be honest, everybody.
Share your thoughts with us on our Facebook page.
And thanks for watching DNews today.
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It's easy.
Thanks again.
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