The Study of Racialism

gemini072 · Moderator Joined: 27 Nov 2004 {Posts: 2942 }

Got some interesting images of natural red heads?

Will rare redheads be extinct by 2100?
By Robin L. Flanigan

Rochester (N.Y.) Democrat and Chronicle
She was just walking down the street with her sister, in her old neighborhood, when an elderly woman stopped her car in front of her and called out, "I love your hair! It's so beautiful!"

Caitlin Tydings was about 8 then, and caught off guard. Now a high-school senior, she has since grown accustomed to strangers commenting on her strawberry-blond locks.

If predictions by the Oxford Hair Foundation come to pass, the number of natural redheads everywhere will continue to dwindle until there are none left by the year 2100.

The reason, according to scientists at the independent institute in England, which studies all sorts of hair problems, is that just 4 percent of the world's population carries the red-hair gene. The gene is recessive and therefore diluted when carriers produce children with people who have the dominant brown-hair gene.

Dr. John Gray's explanation of his foundation's findings: "The way things are going, red hair will either be extremely rare or extinct by the end of the century."

Red hair certainly has made the endangered list. But with 4 percent of 6.4 billion people carrying the gene, says University of Rochester Medical Center's David Pearce, it is too large a figure to be wiped out completely in the next 95 years.

"I think someone may want to check their calculator," he says. The red-hair gene "will dilute out and become rare, but there are a variety of other factors that can change hair color that are not really understood well right now."

The gene responsible for red hair was only discovered in the late 1990s. People have a good chance of being born with red hair if they have a mutation of that gene.

Red hair is found in all ethnic backgrounds but is most commonly associated with people of Celtic descent.

Red hair skipped two generations before sprouting on Brianna McBride, a 5-year-old preschooler from Penfield, N.Y. It comes from her great-grandmother on her father's side.

"As a baby, we'd be in the store and people would always try to touch her head. She didn't like that, so she was very shy," recalls her mom, Alice. As Brianna got older, "we started to point out other redheads, and she started understanding."

Now, her mom adds, "she looks forward to the attention. She has really learned how to use it."

Copyright © 2005 The Seattle Times Company

http://360digest.com/uploads/JackSamCooperSMALL.JPG

gemini072 · Moderator Joined: 27 Nov 2004 {Posts: 2942 }

gemini072 · Moderator Joined: 27 Nov 2004 {Posts: 2942 }

gemini072 · Moderator Joined: 27 Nov 2004 {Posts: 2942 }

DucorpsToo · Posted: Tue 19 Dec 2006 20:12 Post subject:

That was an interesting factoid, gemini072 Cool

. Currently in my adult-gymnastics class, two of my fellow comrades are bright redheads! I've always thought it to be so cool.

gemini072 · Moderator Joined: 27 Nov 2004 {Posts: 2942 }

gemini072 · Moderator Joined: 27 Nov 2004 {Posts: 2942 }

gemini072 · Moderator Joined: 27 Nov 2004 {Posts: 2942 }

gemini072 · Moderator Joined: 27 Nov 2004 {Posts: 2942 }

Dragon Horse · Posted: Thu 15 Feb 2007 18:31 Post subject:

I'm not trying to be funny, but they all look fairly related (well the white ones). I'm guessing there is some heavy inbreding in the gene pool, because I swear to God I know 2 redhead women who looks roughly the same (in regard to facial features that go along with the hair and freckles).

gemini072 · Moderator Joined: 27 Nov 2004 {Posts: 2942 }

Melani23 · Superuser Joined: 30 Aug 2005 {Posts: 1193 } Location: USA

I've noticed that many red-head adults have some of the curlyest, coarse, and frizzy hair to be found among Euro-descended White Americans. Almost 'nappy', Laughing

And they are usually totally 'white' in appearance otherwise.

I knew 2 red-headed girls in my dorm (college) and their hair was 'coaser' than mine. Laughing

Like this guy, but curlier:

And in the move CLICK (2006), I thought this boy could have been mixed:
http://www.imdb.com/gallery/ss/0389860/Ss/0389860/05012_r.jpg.html?path=pgallery&path_key=Monaghan,%20Cameron

Cool

gemini072 · Moderator Joined: 27 Nov 2004 {Posts: 2942 }

gemini072 · Moderator Joined: 27 Nov 2004 {Posts: 2942 }

fwsweet · Posted: Wed 04 Apr 2007 16:36 Post subject:

It is it interesting that a recent study showed that the MC1R allele, which produces red hair (and freckled skin), is independent of the genes that produce the beige Mediterranean skin tone or even those that produce the extraordinarily depigmented Nordic skin tone.

gemini072 · Moderator Joined: 27 Nov 2004 {Posts: 2942 }

gemini072 · Moderator Joined: 27 Nov 2004 {Posts: 2942 }

MivharMeni · Regular User Joined: 04 Jun 2005 {Posts: 70 }

I'm afraid of redheads.

oevega · Posted: Fri 13 Apr 2007 04:06 Post subject: Re: ugly spots? beauty spots?

pianoplayer111 · Wizard Joined: 16 May 2007 {Posts: 429 }

Very true about the genes, Frank.

Gemini072, I notice you posted a picture of Rupert Grint...the Harry Potter kid! I love him... Embarassed

I know, I know, I'm older but he's adorable.

Red hair is so unique.