What do William Shakespeare, Christopher Columbus, Prince Harry and Nicole Kidman have in common? Ginger hair.
But according to genetic scientists the list won't be getting much longer as redheads are becoming rarer and could be extinct in 100 years' time.
The current National Geographic magazine reports that less than 2 per cent of the world's population has natural red hair - created by a mutation in northern Europe thousand of years ago.
Nicole Kidman is unique: Scientists are predicting redheads could be extinct within the century
Prince Harry recently complained he was bullied for being ginger - if scientists are right, at least his great-great-grandchildren won't have the same problem
Global intermingling, which broadens the availability of possible partners, has reduced the chances of redheads meeting and so producing little redheads of their own.
Although it takes only one red-haired parent to produce ginger babies, two redheads obviously creates a much stronger possibility.
If the gingers really want to save themselves they should move to Scotland, which has the world's highest proportion. It is estimated that 40 per cent of Scots carry the red gene and 13 per cent actually have red hair.
Some experts warn they could be gone as early 2060, but others say the gene can be dormant in the reproductive system for generations before returning.
National Geographic says the gene at first had the beneficial effect of increasing the body's ability to make vitamin D from sunlight. However, today's carriers are more prone to skin cancer and have a higher sensitivity to heat and cold-related pain.
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But according to genetic scientists the list won't be getting much longer as redheads are becoming rarer and could be extinct in 100 years' time.
The current National Geographic magazine reports that less than 2 per cent of the world's population has natural red hair - created by a mutation in northern Europe thousand of years ago.
Nicole Kidman is unique: Scientists are predicting redheads could be extinct within the century Prince Harry recently complained he was bullied for being ginger - if scientists are right, at least his great-great-grandchildren won't have the same problemGlobal intermingling, which broadens the availability of possible partners, has reduced the chances of redheads meeting and so producing little redheads of their own.
Although it takes only one red-haired parent to produce ginger babies, two redheads obviously creates a much stronger possibility.
If the gingers really want to save themselves they should move to Scotland, which has the world's highest proportion. It is estimated that 40 per cent of Scots carry the red gene and 13 per cent actually have red hair.
Some experts warn they could be gone as early 2060, but others say the gene can be dormant in the reproductive system for generations before returning.
National Geographic says the gene at first had the beneficial effect of increasing the body's ability to make vitamin D from sunlight. However, today's carriers are more prone to skin cancer and have a higher sensitivity to heat and cold-related pain.
Source:
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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-476430/Redheads-extinct-100-years.html
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