Where does blonde hair originate from?
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Where does blonde hair originate from?
Naturally-occurring blond hair is primarily found in people living in or descended from people who lived in the northern half of Europe, and may have evolved alongside the development of light skin that enables more efficient synthesis of vitamin D, due to northern Europe’s lower levels of sunlight.
Why do Melanesians have blonde hair?
Melanesian Blond Hair Is Caused by an Amino Acid Change in TYRP1: Naturally blond hair is rare in humans and found almost exclusively in Europe and Oceania. This missense mutation is predicted to affect catalytic activity of TYRP1 and causes blond hair through a recessive mode of inheritance.
How did blonde hair evolve?
Blond hair originated through genetic necessity at a time when there was a shortage of both food and males, leading to a high ratio of women competing for smaller numbers of potential partners, according to the study published this week in the academic journal, Evolution and Human Behaviour.
When did blonde hair appear?
around 11,000 years ago
Blondes first began appearing around 11,000 years ago during the last ice age, and have since become major figures in mythology. Two of the Norse goddesses, Sif and Freyja were blondes.
Is blonde hair recessive or dominant?
Each parent carries two alleles (gene variants) for hair color. Blonde hair is a recessive gene and brown hair is a dominant gene.
What causes hair to blonde?
Genetic History of Blondes Natural blonde hair, is caused by a lack of a pigment called eumelanin. This pigment deficiency is what gives blondes their hair color. The general explanation as to how blondes came into being, is related the need for Vitamin D and lower levels of sunlight in some regions.
Why do some Pacific islanders have blonde hair?
The findings, published in Science, reveal that a single mutation in the TYRP1 gene, which is involved in the hair and skin pigmentation process in humans, distinguished those with blonde hair. The mutation is recessive and so two copies are needed for a person to have blonde hair.
What genes make blonde hair?
A genetic mutation that codes for the blond hair of Northern Europeans has been identified. The single mutation was found in a long gene sequence called KIT ligand (KITLG) and is present in about one-third of Northern Europeans. People with these genes could have platinum blond, dirty blond or even dark brown hair.
When did blonde hair became popular?
The 1970s. After women’s lib, the dumb blonde stereotype continued to hang around, its popularity in Hollywood undimmed. But with the premiere of Charlie’s Angels, blondes became associated with sexy, crime fighter roles.