Science clears up doubt about disappearing redheads

The statistics are clear: 1 in 100 people exhibit physical characteristics characteristic of red-haired men and women.. That is, the hair color is between blond and reddish, the skin is pale, and the face is covered with freckles.

Physical characteristics, are difficult to find among the population, which led to the belief that “Scarcity” will condemn redheads to extinction. But science says exactly the opposite.

For a start, The physical features of redheads are manifested by a mutation in the MC1R receptorWhich regulates the production of two types of melanin: eumelanin and phelomenamine. The first defines the dark tones of hair, skin and eyes. The second provides a more blonde and copper color.

In red-haired people, changing the MC1R gene results in the production of only flumeamine, which is the side that prevents dark coloration. Therefore, being a redhead or not is a hereditary genetic question.

the The explanation that there are few people with red hair is that it is a recessive gene, i.e.only appears if there are two copies of the gene, which is statistically complex.

For this reason, since it is a trait of genetic origin, the only possibility of extinction would be if the gene was not passed from one generation to another. This means that people who carry the “red hair gene” stop reproducing.