Irish people with red hair?
And it has also been calculated that around 46% of the country's population carries the ginger gene, known as MC1R, that is responsible for red hair to occur.
And the statistics bear that stereotype out. Ireland has the highest per capita percentage of redheads in the world -- anywhere from 10 to 30 percent, according to Eupedia, a website that explores European genetics and ancestry. They are almost equally prevalent in Scotland and other pockets of Celtic pride.
Irish people developed their red hair because of a lack of sunlight, according to new research from a leading DNA lab. Irelands DNA has revealed that one in 10 Irish people have red hair but it is thought that up to half the population could be carrying the redhead gene even though they are blonde or brunette.
Ireland has the highest number of red-haired people per capita in the world, with the percentage of those with red hair at around 10%.
Did some Vikings have red hair? Contrary to what pop culture has us believe about Vikings, most of them didn't actually fit the prototype of blond hair, blue eyes, and rugged looks. In fact, research suggests that genetic analysis of this Norse tribe found that a majority of Vikings had red hair.
Although red hair is frequently associated with Scotland, Ireland, and England, people of color can also be born with natural red hair. For example, places like Morocco and Central Asia have higher proportions of redheads.
While it may seem that only Caucasians have red hair, people from all races and ethnicities have ginger locks. It is more common in areas such as Northern Europe and specific parts of Russia. However, the genetic mutation has also spread throughout parts of South America, Asia, and Africa.
Having red hair and blue eyes is the rarest hair/eye color combination possible. The odds of a person having both of those recessive traits is around 0.17%. Instead, most redheads have brown, hazel or green eyes, according to Medical Daily.
Red hair has long been associated with Celtic people. Both the ancient Greeks and Romans described the Celts as redheads. The Romans extended the description to Germanic people, at least those they most frequently encountered in southern and western Germany. It still holds true today.
Red hair is associated with the gene MC1R, a recessive and somewhat rare gene that occurs in only about 2% of the world's population, according to the National Institutes of Health. That means both parents must carry a copy of the gene to produce a red-haired child and often the trait skips generations.
What is the rarest hair color?
The rarest natural hair colour is red, which makes up only one to two percent of the global population. You commonly see these hair colours in western and northern areas of Europe, especially Scotland and Ireland. However, natural redheads may not exist for much longer.
Research has shown that people with red hair perceive pain differently than others. They may be more sensitive to certain types of pain and can require higher doses of some pain-killing medications. However, studies suggest that their general pain tolerance may be higher.
Experts believe that a majority of Irish people have Celtic roots; however, a study published on Thursday found they may also have a great deal of influence from the Vikings, Anglo-Normans, and British.
According to an article by evolutionary biology professor Mark Elgar, PhD, of the University of Melbourne, blue-eyed redheads are the absolute rarest, with 0.17% of the population having that combination of hair and eye color.
By most estimates, the European Country Ireland has a higher percentage of redheads than any other country in the world, with the latest estimates suggesting that approximately 10% of the country's population have red hair.
Cloudy weather could have caused Celts' red hair
The experts believe that the gloomy climate in Scotland prompted a deliberate genetic adaptation. Essentially, this means that red hair helps to take advantage of sunny days and allows the body to absorb more vitamin D.
Both characteristics come from recessive genes, which like to come in pairs. Redheads probably won't go grey. That's because the pigment just fades over time. So they will probably go blonde and even white, but not grey.
Previous studies had shown that redheads inherit two versions of the MC1R gene that leads to red hair – one from their mum and one from their dad. Although almost everyone with red hair has two copies of the red-haired version of MC1R, not everyone carrying two red-haired versions is a redhead.
Because it's a recessive trait, red hair can easily skip a generation. It can then reappear after skipping one or more generations if both parents, no matter their hair color, carry the red hair gene.
Did you know that red hair is a genetic mutation? Both parents must be carriers of the mutated MC1R gene to be able to produce redhead offspring.
Are there black redheads?
A redhead of African descent is pretty rare. Except when people are of mixed ancestry, red hair in Africans is usually caused by a kind of albinism.
Red hair, occurring in just 1 to 2 percent of the population, is the least common. Blue eyes are similarly uncommon, and they may be becoming rarer. One study found that between 1899 and 1905, more than half of non-Hispanic white people in the United States had blue eyes.
Lifespan: up to 20 years in captivity, 5-10 years in the wild.
The skin of a redhead is thinner compared to others and is derived from the ectoderm. Teeth enamel is also derived from the ectoderm and thus is thinner than usual. Since the enamel coating is thin, the inner layer of tooth-dentin is more visible and offers a yellowish appearance.
Just because you have red hair doesn't mean that you will or should have red eyebrows. Makeup artists most commonly suggest picking a brow color that is one to two shades darker than your natural brow color.
Red hair is relatively common in England, Iceland and Norway, too, while Germany, Sweden, Finland, The Netherlands and northern France are all ahead of the global average. Travel south through Europe and red hair becomes very rare.
Inheritance of red hair
MC1R is a recessive gene. This means that two copies (one inherited from each parent) are required for the trait to be observed. In this case, two copies of the variant are required for the child to be a redhead.
At the same time, redheads are better at manufacturing vitamin D and have a lower prostate cancer risk. The reason for those differences is rooted in DNA. People with red hair carry two copies of a variant melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) gene.
#BLONDE! The contest for the most attractive hair colour is obviously won by the blonde color with 35% of the overall vote, followed by the brunette. The bronze goes to Pippi Longstocking (people 30 and above will understand 👩 ). And the fourth place is for black hair colour.
Strawberry blonde is lighter than red hair. 'It's extremely rare for people to have hair that is naturally a strawberry blonde color.
What is the rarest eyes?
| EYE COLOR | U.S. POPULATION | WORLD POPULATION |
|---|---|---|
| Gray and other | Less than 1% | Less than 1% |
| Green | 9% | 2% |
| Hazel/amber | 18% | 10% |
| Blue | 27% | 8% to 10% |
They easily detect changes in hot and cold temperatures. They may be less sensitive to electric shock, needle pricks and stinging pain on the skin.
A study headed by Dr. Edwin Liem at the University of Louisville in Kentucky found that redheads are more sensitive to hot and cold, and are hurt by the cold at temperatures nearly 11 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than others.
Fun facts about red hair strands
Redheads are less likely to go grey. The pigment in red hair typically fades over time from red to blonde and white, but not grey. Redheads produce more Vitamin D in a shorter amount of time than people with other hair colors.
From as far back as the 16th century, historians taught that the Irish are the descendants of the Celts, an Iron Age people who originated in the middle of Europe and invaded Ireland somewhere between 1000 B.C. and 500 B.C. That story has inspired innumerable references linking the Irish with Celtic culture.
Who Are the Closest Genetic Relatives of the Irish? Today, people living in the north of Spain in the region known as the Basque Country share many DNA traits with the Irish. However, the Irish also share their DNA to a large extent with the people of Britain, especially the Scottish and Welsh.
New research shows that the Irish definitely have their fair share of Viking heritage–in fact, the Irish are more genetically diverse than most people may assume. The Irish have Viking and Norman ancestry in similar proportions to the English.
The Science behind Red Hair
Ireland has the highest per capita percentage of redheads in the world — anywhere from 10% to 30%. Outside Europe, only 0.06% of people are redheaded.
Irish people usually have brown hair. A small percentage has either blonde red or black hair.
It is believed there are so many redheads in Ireland, Scotland, and Scandinavia because our redhead ancestors migrated to cooler climates. As you know, redheads have more sensitive skin that burns easily, so a cooler climate was a more comfortable place for our ancestors to live many thousands of years ago.
What is the most common eye color in Ireland?
In fact, in Ireland and Scotland, more than three-fourths of the population has blue or green eyes – 86 percent! Many factors go into having green eyes.
The Irish are often stereotyped as possessing red hair. Ireland has the second-highest amount of naturally occurring red hair at 10%, second only to Scotland with 13%. Furthermore, it is estimated that 46% of Ireland's population carries MC1R, the gene responsible for producing red hair.
Having red hair and blue eyes is the rarest hair/eye color combination possible. The odds of a person having both of those recessive traits is around 0.17%. Instead, most redheads have brown, hazel or green eyes, according to Medical Daily.
Irish people are known for pointy and angular features, characterized by strong-looking jaws and chins, deep-set eyes, and pronounced cheekbones. They also tend to have slick oval heads as well as long and tall pointed noses.
The rarest natural hair colour is red, which makes up only one to two percent of the global population. You commonly see these hair colours in western and northern areas of Europe, especially Scotland and Ireland. However, natural redheads may not exist for much longer.
The Celts were usually described as blond, whether naturally or through the use of chalk or lime-water to lighten the hair.
The Irish are generally considered to have a fair complexion.
Green irises (the rarest eye color) have less melanin than brown eyes but more than blue eyes, for instance. “Brown is on one end, blue on the other, and hazel and green are in between,” Dr. Patel says. This also means that brown is dominant and blue is the least dominant, also known as recessive.
Whatever the reason, Irish hair is inherently frizzy and unruly curly. Yes, we know that is a generalisation but given our damp, humid and rainy weather it seems fair to say that many of us suffer from frizzy fuzzy hair and unruly curls that need DISCIPLINE.
