Natural Rare
Natural Rare
Natural Rare
Why is natural red hair rare?
The red hair gene is recessive, which means it is not displayed when it is joined with a dominant gene. Red hair is only shown when there are two recessive red hair genes joined. Therefore, although red hair itself is rare, the red hair gene is not so rare. What is rare is the combination of two red hair genes.
The red hair gene is most common in Ireland, Scotland, and Scandanavia. Up to 14% of the population in Scotland displays the gene characteristic of red hair, with up to 40% of the population being carriers of the red hair gene in Scotland.
It is a natural selection issue, in that the red hair gene is commonly also associated with very fair and pale skin which is extremely good at converting sunlight to vitamin D (which is essential for survival or we develop rickets or other deficiency diseases). In places where the sun does not shine much, and the sun does not come out at all during winter, red hair is naturally selective. Red haired people are better able to adapt to lack of sunshine than those with dark skin. The converse is also true, in that red haired people tend to burn in strong sunshine very easily.
The primary answer is therefore it is a recessive gene. The secondary answer is that the gene is most prevelant where the sun does not shine much, so it depends where you look for the characteristic.
Exotic, Rare and Cool Natural Stones Part I - Granite Shorts Ep.18 - www.marble.com