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Scotland's Bad Weather Means More Redheads

Cloudier climes allowed trait to gain in population

By Will McCahill,  Newser Staff

Posted Mar 13, 2010 10:23 AM CST

(Newser) – The cooler, cloudier climes for northern Europe make for more redheads—particularly in Scotland and Ireland, a researcher says. About 8% of Scots sport a ginger mane, to less than 2% of all Europeans. The theory, Emily Pritchard tells the Times of London, is that genetic traits that allow sun-unfriendly red hair and fair skin didn’t die out as humans moved from Africa northward.

Red hair and fair skin would be bad news in sunny Africa, but OK in cooler areas like Scotland.
Red hair and fair skin would be bad news in sunny Africa, but OK in cooler areas like Scotland.   (Wikimedia Commons)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 29 comments
Rocket448
Mar 13, 2010 6:41 PM CST
Doesn't selection take longer than a few hundred years? I don't know how long it would take to select for red hair and increase the percent of gingers in a restricted population, or on the other hand, select against red hair, but I'm pretty sure its longer than a few generations. PLUS neither Ireland nor Scotland have been first-world societies for much longer than 40 years. IMO.
passinthru
Mar 13, 2010 6:34 PM CST
whats their explanation for Atlanta then? there is a more consolidated amount of gingers in this state than ive seen anywhere else in this country...WTF?
doingtherightthing
Mar 13, 2010 5:55 PM CST
a idiot is born every minute and this Emily is alive and not well!
 

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