The Ed Sheeran effect: The number of light-skinned redheads is surging in Europe – and scientists don’t know why

Now the redheads who were teased on the school playground had the last laugh; A study reveals that their numbers have increased thanks to natural selection.

Researchers have found that humans are still evolving, and much faster than previously thought.

DNA analysis shows that the ginger gene has become more common among Europeans over the last 10,000 years.

This means red hair, sported by Ed Sheeran, Prince Harry and Florence Welch, may become increasingly common.

Other variants that appear to have become more common include lighter skin tone, lower likelihood of male pattern baldness, faster walking speed, and higher intelligence.

Additional traits that increase include susceptibility to celiac disease, immunity to HIV, resistance to leprosy, lower risk of rheumatoid arthritis, and lower body fat percentage.

Researchers from Harvard University aren’t exactly sure what the survival advantage of red hair might be in modern times.

‘Perhaps it was beneficial to have red hair 4000 years ago,’ they said. ‘Or perhaps it came with a more important feature.’

DNA analysis shows that the ginger gene is becoming more common among Europeans. By the way, an important genetic risk factor for gluten intolerance started to increase around 4000 years ago, right?

Experts reveal that Ed Sheeran’s red hair may become increasingly common

The findings challenge conventional theories that suggest humans have changed little evolutionarily since they first appeared 300,000 years ago.

For the study, researchers analyzed ancient DNA from nearly 16,000 individuals spanning more than 10,000 years in Western Eurasia, part of what is now Europe and the Middle East.

They collaborated with more than 250 archaeologists and anthropologists to examine the DNA.

Overall, they found that most genetic selection accelerated after the introduction of farming; This reflects how different traits became advantageous as people switched from hunting and gathering to agriculture.

Some changes seem logical; for example, developing resistance to certain diseases.

But others seem counterintuitive, such as the key genetic risk factor for gluten intolerance skyrocketing after people started growing wheat.

“With these new techniques and large amounts of ancient genomic data, we can now watch how selection shapes biology in real time,” said first author Ali Akbari of Harvard University.

‘Instead of looking for traces of natural selection on today’s genomes using simple models and assumptions, we can let the data speak for itself.’

The study found that the ginger gene is becoming more common, meaning the number of redheads like Florence Welch (left) and former Spice Girl Geri Horner is increasing.

Other variables that appear to have become more common include faster walking pace and higher intelligence

Genetic oddities are often the result of random mutations that occur during errors in copying the parents’ DNA during reproduction.

Most mutations don’t have much of an effect, but if some kind of survival advantage is conferred, the carrier is more likely to live longer and pass the variant on to their children.

Over generations, the most advantageous variants can become dominant throughout the species and drive evolution through natural selection.

“This work allows us to assign space and time to the forces that shape us,” said Harvard Geneticist David Reich.

Authors who publish their works in the journal Natureplans to repeat the research in East Asia, East Africa, and Central and South America to uncover more genetic variation.

They hope this could help prevent diseases and pave the way for the development of new gene therapy drugs.

‘To what extent will we see similar patterns in East Asia or East Africa or Native Americans in Central America and the Central Andes?’ Professor Reich asked.

‘If we cannot use ancient DNA to study the most important period of human evolution between one million and two million years ago, then we can at least examine the selective pressure on human genomes during more recent periods of change and learn broader principles.’

The red hair trait runs in the royal family, thanks to Prince Harry. Meanwhile, the Weasley family is famous for their red locks, including Ron, played by Rupert Grint from the Harry Potter series.

Despite the findings, redheads are still relatively rare; They make up less than 2 percent of the global population.

A previous study found that redheaded women have genetically different pain thresholds than the rest of the female population.

A report in the medical journal Anesthesiology stated that redheads’ pain thresholds are linked to a hair gene mutation that partially shuts down the sensory receptor.

Experts also found that these hair types have the highest orgasm rates of all hair types.

from the University of Hamburg. “The sexual lives of women with red hair were clearly more active than women with other hair colours, having more partners and having sex more often than average,” said Werner Habermehl. ‘The research shows that the fiery redhead certainly lives up to her reputation.’