Source: Fox News
Summary
A study by Harvard Medical School researchers analyzed nearly 16,000 ancient genomes and found that natural selection has favored the red hair gene, potentially leading to an increase in redheaded people. The study identified 479 gene variants that have been strongly favored over the past 10,000 years, including those associated with red hair. The researchers suggest that the transition to farming may have triggered an evolutionary “acceleration” that favored certain traits, including red hair.
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This guidance has been heard before.
The study’s findings on red hair are a reminder that our understanding of evolution is constantly evolving. The researchers’ use of ancient DNA and new computing methods allowed them to identify directional selection, which occurs when a particular gene variant gives an organism a strong survival or reproductive advantage. The study’s authors noted that the exact prehistoric benefit of red hair still requires more study, but scientists have long pointed to vitamin D synthesis as a likely driver for the rise of light-pigmented traits in northern climates. The Harvard study’s analysis suggests that redheads may not be an evolutionary accident, but rather a result of natural selection boosting the trait as humans adapted to the challenges of a modern world.
As we watch how selection shaped biology in real time, we’re reminded that our understanding of human history is constantly shifting.
Author: Evan Null
