(ORDO NEWS) — Red hair is an exotic trait, found in only one to two people in every 100 people.
The rarity of this color is not surprising, because a child can be guaranteed to be born with red hair only if his mother and father have the same hair color, that is, both parents must have the so-called “red gene”.
Such coincidences do not happen often, so it is believed that the number of red-haired people on the planet is declining.
Moreover, information began to spread in the media that by 2100 the red hair color will disappear completely. However, scientists believe that this is actually impossible.
Why do people have red hair?
Red-haired people, apparently, arose even before the appearance of our species, that is, Homo sapiens. A 50,000-year-old DNA analysis showed that some Neanderthals were red.
The reason for the red hair color lies in the aforementioned “red gene”, that is, the melanocortin 1 receptor gene, or MC1R. It was opened in 1995.
This gene causes red color not only in human hair, but also in animal hair. In a 1995 study, scientists found that more than 80% of redheads had variations in the MC1R gene.
But what about the other 20%? Yes, MC1R is not the only gene that causes red hair, but it is considered the main one.
Why did people with red hair appear?
As a rule, mutations occur for a reason, but so that the species can better adapt to the environment. You may be surprised, but the same thing happened with red hair.
The fact is that the MC1R gene affects not only the red hair color, but also the pale skin color.
This is because in such people, the cell surface variant of the receptor cannot change the melanin pigment from yellow/red to a protective brown/black when exposed to ultraviolet light, as it does in all other people.
In this regard, the pale coloration gave an important advantage to people who migrated from sunnier regions to northern Europe with its gloomy and short winter days.
Lighter skin absorbs more UV light, resulting in more vitamin D production. This vitamin helps the body absorb and retain calcium, strengthen bones, and protect against inflammation.
These benefits increased women’s chances of a successful pregnancy and childbirth. At the same time, the genes for fair skin and red or blond hair began to be passed down from generation to generation.
Therefore, this feature is most characteristic of people living in the northern regions of Europe, for example, in Ireland.
In this European country, fair-skinned and red-haired people are much more than anywhere else on Earth. According to some estimates, their number is about 10 percent of the total number of people.
In a recent study, British scientists compared the frequency of birth of people with red hair and the place of their birth.
As it turned out, most red-haired people live in the north and west of the country. That is, the further north a person is born, the higher the likelihood that he will have red hair.
But, at the same time, the red color is associated with an increased risk of skin cancer. As we said earlier, ultraviolet destroys skin cells, but dark pigment partially protects them.
Mutations in the MC1R gene allow more UV light to reach DNA and damage it.
One study showed that people who carry the R variant of the MC1R gene have a 42% higher incidence of melanoma (one of the most aggressive forms of cancer).
However, the average age of the disease is 65 years, which does not threaten the reproductive ability of redheads.
Will people with red hair disappear?
As we said above, you can often find information on the net that redheads may soon disappear. In particular, the Oxford Hair Foundation spoke about this, which was subsequently dissolved.
As it turned out, this institute was funded by a hair dye and cosmetics company in order to generate interest in the red color.
According to scientists, the gene may become rare, but it will not disappear completely. In order for all redheads to completely disappear, all carriers of the “redhead gene” must die or become infertile.
Of course, this is extremely unlikely, and is unlikely to happen even in the event of a nuclear war. In addition, as we said above, in addition to MC1R, there are other genes that cause red hair.
Moreover, even people with any other hair color can be carriers of these genes. This means that red-haired people will always exist as long as humanity exists.
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