Origin Of Red Hair Gene

The origins of haplogroup r1b are complex but it likely had a west asian origin and migrated into western europe with the spread of agriculture.

Origin of red hair gene. Last medically reviewed on september 18 2018. It was originally thought that red hair was caused by a single gene called mc1r often referred to as the ginger gene almost everyone with red hair has two specific versions of the mc1r gene for ginger hair. According to some the gene for red hair is inherent to the celts while others claim it to be a genetic trait specific to the norsemen being brought to the british isles during the viking age there is also a third category of historians and scientists who agree on a common celto germanic. There are 8 genetic differences associated with red hair color.

Red hair has the highest amounts of pheomelanin around 67 and usually low levels of eumelanin. Red hair ranges from light strawberry blond shades to titian copper and completely red. The largest concentration of red heads can be found in scotland which boasts a 13 red headed population. Red haired variants of the mc1r gene probably arose about 20 40 000 years ago.

While i personally have brown hair i must be a carrier of one the variants of the red head gene. This means that other genes must be involved. The red haired proto indo europeans split in three branches proto italic proto celtic and proto germanic during the progressive expansion of the successive bronze age unetice tumulus and. The gene hcl2 also called rhc or rha on chromosome 4 may also be related to red hair.

At 1 2 of the west eurasian population it is the least common hair. It can also be the result of a mutation in the melanocortin 1 receptor gene. In 2001 research indicated that the gene for red hair possibly began its origins with none other than neanderthal man. Red hair is very rare in scandinavia and germany today.

In species other than primates red hair has different genetic origins and mechanisms. Red hair is actually the result of a genetic mutation which is also responsible for fair skin and freckles. For some time there has been quite a debate among scholars regarding the origins of the red hair gene. Red hair is a recessive genetic trait caused by a series of mutations in the melanocortin 1 receptor mc1r a gene located on chromosome 16.

Red hair occurs naturally in 1 2 of the human population. Red hair alleles may have survived in the local gene pool though but cannot be expressed due to the lack of other genes for light hair pigmentation. Though about 1 2 of the general world population has the red hair gene that percentage rises to 2 to 6 percent north of the equator. However not everyone carrying both of these versions end up having red hair.

As a recessive trait it must be inherited from both parents to cause the hair to become red.