One in 100 people in the world is red-haired. Despite being an uncommon trait, there is no risk that it will disappear over the years. Katerina Zorina-Lichtenwalter, a researcher at the Institute for Behavioral Genetics at the University of Colorado, says that “redheads are not going to become extinct”
In the scientific world, this peculiar genetics has been analyzed for a long time. DNA studies confirm the presence of red-haired Neanderthals 50,000 years ago. For a child to have hair of this color, two copies are needed, one from the mother and one from the father. Therefore, the genetic variants involved are recessive. If both parents are redheads, there is a high probability that the child will also be a redhead.
The melanocortin 1 receptor gene, or MC1R, is responsible for the production of pheomelanin, which generates red or blonde hair. In the case of redheads, the skin cells, melanocytes, generate this pigment. According to Zorina-Lichtenwalter, “MC1R is one of several genes that work together to produce dark melanin and, without that switch, the skin is fair”. Therefore, this tone has advantages, such as greater absorption of UV rays, which produces more vitamin D. However, there is also a higher risk of skin cancer.
The UK is the place where there are more redheads
In the world, the place where there are more redheads is in the United Kingdom. It is estimated that 12-14% of the population in Scotland has this redhead genetics, while in Ireland it is 10% and in Great Britain it is 6%
What seems clear is that redheads are not disappearing for some of the reasons explained. Recessive genes are not going to disappear overnight, so people carrying that gene will continue to leave a line of redheads who will continue with this rare trait, especially in some parts of the planet.