Redheads are not going extinct — geneticists debunk the popular myth

Geneticist Ian Jackson from the University of Edinburgh explains that red hair is a recessive trait, but that does not mean it will disappear — the gene can be carried silently for generations. Similar myths about blondes dying out circulated as early as the 19th century. Scientists do note a genuine concern: the pigment feomelanin found in redheads raises melanoma risk independently of sun exposure.

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