what causes people to have red hair?

Question

i want to know if anybody knows what causes red hair. did they stay in the sun too long back when the wheel was being invented? is it a gene that causes it? this question should have been asked long ago. i have asked and never gotten a real answer. educated answers only.

Answer 1

It's genetic. The ancestors of redheads came from parts of the globe (mainly Scotland and Ireland) where there was minimal sun exposure, so they didn't need as much melanin in their systems, which is what protects your body from the sun. That's why most redheads are also fair-skinned. The ancestors of people with dark hair and skin were from places closer to the equator where there was more exposure to sunlight. They have more melanin in their bodies for protection.

Answer 2

Its in genetics. It is a way the genes are crossed. Generally both parents carry the red hair trait (not necessarily being redheads themselves) and pass it along, like blonde hair is recessive also. But I also think that red hair can be created by a certain crossing of genes and chemicals, by some protiens being manipulated. Google it. I'm not completely positive, but it's not sun.

Answer 3

Red hair is caused by a recessive gene on chromosome 16 which causes a mutation of the MC1R protein. It is associated with fair skin color, freckles, and sensitivity to ultraviolet light.
It is characterized by high levels of the reddish pigment pheomelanin and relatively low levels of the dark pigment eumelanin.

Answer 4

Prettymuch what everyone else said; it's in your genes, and it has to do with how much pigment is released (just like for blondes and brunettes.)

Answer 5

pheumenalin causes red hair. people with red hair have fewer hair stands. and people with blonde hair have the most hair strands. -cosmetologist*

Answer 6

dye