Study Suggests Red Hair Is a Sign of Human Evolution

When you think about evolution, what comes to mind? Certainly, things like opposable thumbs are one factor here; so too is language, something that other intelligent species on the planet also exhibit. According to a recent study published in the journal Nature, some characteristics that are less obvious are also indicators of human evolution in certain parts of the world — and one of them involved red hair.

The study in question focused on characteristics of West Eurasians over several thousand years. In doing this research, the scientists explain, they sought to better understand “how Darwinian forces couple to allelic effects and shape the genetic architecture of complex traits.”

As Live Science’s Kristina Killgrove explains, this is significant in part because it reveals that human evolution is an ongoing process, not something that has slowed down. Among the characteristics favored by evolution in this population were the aforementioned red hair, as well as having stronger resistance to both leprosy and HIV.

Harvard University scientist Ali Akbari, one of the study’s authors, provided an explanation of the group’s findings to Live Science. “This likely reflects changes in environment or selective pressures over time; for example, the introduction of new pathogens,” Akbari said.

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Interestingly enough, this is not the first time that red hair has come up in discussions of human evolution. For a time, this hair color was thought to be a genetic inheritance from Neanderthals — a theory that more recent research has disproven. According to Live Science’s reporting, the scientists are working on another paper looking at how evolution affected people in East Eurasia. They have also made their findings available online — so if you’ve ever wanted to make a deep dive into genetic history, this is the time to do it.

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Tobias Carroll

Tobias Carroll lives and writes in New York City, and has been covering a wide variety of subjects — including (but not limited to) books, soccer and drinks — for many years. His writing has been published by the likes of the Los Angeles Times, Pitchfork, Literary Hub, Vulture, Punch, the New York Times and Men’s Journal. At InsideHook, he has…