Redheads are ‘spreading across the globe’ as humans are still evolving | World | News

According to scientists, the world is getting redder as humans continue to evolve towards redheads.

A groundbreaking new study has revealed that the number of people with flame-coloured hair is on the rise. Until recently, many scientists believed that humans had made little evolutionary progress over the past 10,000 years.

However, new DNA analysis of 15,836 ancient human remains carried out by researchers at Harvard University in the US has revealed that not only were humans evolving at a remarkable pace, but they were also becoming increasingly red-haired.

The study, published in the scientific journal Nature, says: “Perhaps having red hair was beneficial 4,000 years ago, or perhaps it brought with it a more important trait.”

Although often ridiculed, red hair has traditionally been associated with strength and vitality. In Hawaii, red-haired Polynesians are believed to be descendants of the fire gods. Studies have shown that redheads are more sensitive to heat and cold, and a single strand of red hair is often thicker than other shades.

However, redheads have fewer strands of hair; While it is 110,000 in blondes and 140,000 in brunettes, the average is around 90,000. They also produce more vitamin D in a shorter time than those with other hair colors.

Meanwhile, a 2022 study found that redheaded women are more sexually active, have more desire and more partners than others, and have sex at least once a week more than the rest of the population. Redheads are also becoming increasingly popular in the advertising world. Research has found that 30% of TV commercials aired in prime time feature a redhead.

Ed Sheeran described his red hair as a ‘superpower’ that gave impetus to his music career, while natural redhead Elizabeth I wore a red wig to hide her gray hair later in life. Prince Harry joked that ‘the ginger gene is a powerful gene’ by adopting his distinctive colour.

Guardians of the Galaxy star Karen Gillan is hugely proud of her natural red hair and has expressed her desire to have a ‘red child’.

The groundbreaking new study brought together more than 250 archaeologists and anthropologists to create a database of DNA collected from 10,016 ancient cemeteries across Europe and Asia.

These data were then combined with the genomic sequences of 5,820 ancient individuals and 6,438 modern humans, including information from the UK Biobank.

By examining millions of genetic variants, scientists were able to track how often certain variants emerged throughout history.

The researchers identified 479 genes whose rate of increase or decrease was “greater than expected by chance”; This strongly suggests that natural selection is at work.

The study examines the period after the last great Ice Age, when humanity transitioned from hunting-gathering to farming and laid the foundations of the first human civilizations.

Researchers suggested that natural selection may have accelerated during this period ‘due to rapidly changing lifestyles and economies’.

Additional traits favored by evolution include narrower hips and less body fat. Genetic variants associated with fast walking speed and resistance to leprosy were also found to be on the rise.

The research found that those linked to male pattern baldness and rheumatoid arthritis are on the decline.

Susceptibility to celiac disease, which occurs as a result of the immune system attacking the small intestine due to a gluten-rich diet, has increased.

Ali Akbari, lead author of the paper, said: “Instead of looking for traces left by natural selection in today’s genomes, we can now watch in real time how selection is shaping biology.”

Only 21 examples of modern human evolution have ever been generally accepted.

These included a mutation that allowed people raising cattle to continue digesting milk into adulthood; Other societies, particularly in East Asia, had high rates of lactose intolerance.

The researchers now plan to repeat the study in East Asia, East Africa, and Central and South America to uncover more genetic variations that could potentially help prevent disease and open the door to the development of new gene therapy treatments.

According to Harvard: “The study demonstrates the power of ancient DNA research to illuminate human genetic adaptation and other fundamental principles of evolutionary biology.”