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September 2002: 'According to a study by the World Health Organization published this month in the Journal of Evolution and Human Behavior, people with blonde hair are an endangered species and will become extinct by 2202. Researchers predict the last truly natural blonde will be born somewhere in Finland - the country with the highest proportion of blondes – in 2202. But they say too few people now carry the gene for blondes to last beyond the next two centuries.
'The problem is that blonde hair is caused by a recessive gene. In order for a child to have blonde hair, it must have the gene on both sides of the family in the grandparents' generation. There is a reportedly low number of people carrying the recessive blond gene or allele, especially in nations of mixed heritage (examples: USA, Canada, Brazil, New Zealand, Australia). The dominant alleles (brown hair, black hair, brown eyes) 'overthrow' the recessive genes or metaphorically, endanger them.
'Researchers also believe that so-called bottle blondes may be to blame for the demise of their natural rivals. They suggest that dyed-blondes are more attractive to men who choose them as partners over true blondes.' -- bbc.co.uk
'According to a recent study by Canadian anthropologist Peter Frost, north European women evolved blonde hair and blue eyes at the end of the Ice Age to make them stand out from their rivals at a time of fierce competition for scarce males.
'The study argues that blond hair originated in the region because of food shortages 10,000-11,000 years ago. Until then, humans had the dark brown hair and dark eyes that still dominate in the rest of the world. Almost the only sustenance in northern Europe came from roaming herds of mammoths, reindeer, bison and horses. Finding them required long, arduous hunting trips in which numerous males died, leading to a high ratio of surviving women to men. The rest, as they say, is evolution.
'Frost’s theory is also backed up by a separate scientific analysis of north European genes carried out at three Japanese universities, which has isolated the date of the genetic mutation that resulted in blond hair to about 11,000 years ago.
'The hair colour gene MC1R has at least seven variants in Europe and the continent has an unusually wide range of hair and eye shades. In the rest of the world, dark hair and eyes are overwhelmingly dominant. Just how such variety emerged over such a short period of time in one part of the world has long been a mystery. According to the new research, if the changes had occurred by the usual processes of evolution, they would have taken about 850,000 years.' -- thetimes.co.uk
February 2003: 'In September 2002, numerous major newspapers and television news programs claimed that blondes would be gone within 200 years. A BBC News article at the time cited "German scientists" who said that blondes woul d be extinct by 2202. The article also claimed that the research stated that Finland, with its high proportion of blondes, would be the birthplace of the last blonde. The claim was based on the fact that blonde hair is a recessive gene and that more men were choosing dyed blondes -- so-called "bottle blondes" -- over true blondes. Other articles repeated the same facts about the future extinction of blondes but sourced them to the World Health Organization (WHO).
'A dermatologist at the University of Edinburgh was one of many people to take issue with the claim. Jonathan Rees said that the gene for blonde hair would only "disappear" if there were some inherent evolutionary disadvantage in being blonde, which isn't so. The Washington Post eventually traced the story to a German women's magazine named "Allegra." That magazine used as its source an apparently non-existent anthropologist working for the WHO.' -- science.howstuffworks.com
April 2006: 'Redheads are becoming rarer and could be extinct in 100 years, according to genetic scientists. The current National Geographic magazine quotes the Oxford Hair Foundation as reporting that less than two per cent of the world's population has natural red hair, created by a mutation in northern Europe thousands of years ago.
'Global intermingling, which broadens the availability of possible partners, has reduced the chances of redheads meeting and producing little redheads of their own. It takes only one red-haired parent to produce ginger-headed babies, but two redheads obviously create a much stronger possibility. If the gingers really want to save themselves they should move to Scotland. An estimated 40 per cent of Scots carry the red gene and 13 per cent actually have red hair.
The Oxford Hair Foundation 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. Some experts say that redheads could be gone as early as 2060.'-- The Courier-Mail
August 2007: 'In April 2006, many news organizations reported that redheads or "gingers," as our British and Australian friends call them, would eventually become extinct. Other news outlets and blogs picked up the story, citing the "Oxford Hair Foundation" or "genetic scientists" who claimed that there would be no more redheads by as early as 2060.
'The story of redhead extinction has gone around the Internet before, most recently in 2005, with news articles again citing the Oxford Hair Foundation as a source. These articles work on the mistaken assumption that recessive genes -- like the one for red hair -- can "die out." Recessive genes can become rare but don't disappear completely unless everyone carrying that gene dies or fails to reproduce.
'Nearly all of the articles discussing redhead extinction referred to the Oxford Hair Foundation as an "independent" institute or research foundation, but a Google search shows that the Oxford Hair Foundation is funded by Proctor & Gamble, makers of numerous beauty products -- including red hair dye. Independent experts and scientists who have been interviewed agree that the redhead extinction claim is bogus.' -- science.howstuffworks.com
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Clik here to view.![]()
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p.s. Hey. Someone asked me to rerun this post, I can't remember who. It's dedicated to that whoever, and I hope the rest of you have something going on with it too. One more rerun tomorrow, and then newness and p.s.es will reign here again.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
September 2002: 'According to a study by the World Health Organization published this month in the Journal of Evolution and Human Behavior, people with blonde hair are an endangered species and will become extinct by 2202. Researchers predict the last truly natural blonde will be born somewhere in Finland - the country with the highest proportion of blondes – in 2202. But they say too few people now carry the gene for blondes to last beyond the next two centuries.
'The problem is that blonde hair is caused by a recessive gene. In order for a child to have blonde hair, it must have the gene on both sides of the family in the grandparents' generation. There is a reportedly low number of people carrying the recessive blond gene or allele, especially in nations of mixed heritage (examples: USA, Canada, Brazil, New Zealand, Australia). The dominant alleles (brown hair, black hair, brown eyes) 'overthrow' the recessive genes or metaphorically, endanger them.
'Researchers also believe that so-called bottle blondes may be to blame for the demise of their natural rivals. They suggest that dyed-blondes are more attractive to men who choose them as partners over true blondes.' -- bbc.co.uk
'According to a recent study by Canadian anthropologist Peter Frost, north European women evolved blonde hair and blue eyes at the end of the Ice Age to make them stand out from their rivals at a time of fierce competition for scarce males.
'The study argues that blond hair originated in the region because of food shortages 10,000-11,000 years ago. Until then, humans had the dark brown hair and dark eyes that still dominate in the rest of the world. Almost the only sustenance in northern Europe came from roaming herds of mammoths, reindeer, bison and horses. Finding them required long, arduous hunting trips in which numerous males died, leading to a high ratio of surviving women to men. The rest, as they say, is evolution.
'Frost’s theory is also backed up by a separate scientific analysis of north European genes carried out at three Japanese universities, which has isolated the date of the genetic mutation that resulted in blond hair to about 11,000 years ago.
'The hair colour gene MC1R has at least seven variants in Europe and the continent has an unusually wide range of hair and eye shades. In the rest of the world, dark hair and eyes are overwhelmingly dominant. Just how such variety emerged over such a short period of time in one part of the world has long been a mystery. According to the new research, if the changes had occurred by the usual processes of evolution, they would have taken about 850,000 years.' -- thetimes.co.uk
February 2003: 'In September 2002, numerous major newspapers and television news programs claimed that blondes would be gone within 200 years. A BBC News article at the time cited "German scientists" who said that blondes woul d be extinct by 2202. The article also claimed that the research stated that Finland, with its high proportion of blondes, would be the birthplace of the last blonde. The claim was based on the fact that blonde hair is a recessive gene and that more men were choosing dyed blondes -- so-called "bottle blondes" -- over true blondes. Other articles repeated the same facts about the future extinction of blondes but sourced them to the World Health Organization (WHO).
'A dermatologist at the University of Edinburgh was one of many people to take issue with the claim. Jonathan Rees said that the gene for blonde hair would only "disappear" if there were some inherent evolutionary disadvantage in being blonde, which isn't so. The Washington Post eventually traced the story to a German women's magazine named "Allegra." That magazine used as its source an apparently non-existent anthropologist working for the WHO.' -- science.howstuffworks.com
April 2006: 'Redheads are becoming rarer and could be extinct in 100 years, according to genetic scientists. The current National Geographic magazine quotes the Oxford Hair Foundation as reporting that less than two per cent of the world's population has natural red hair, created by a mutation in northern Europe thousands of years ago.
'Global intermingling, which broadens the availability of possible partners, has reduced the chances of redheads meeting and producing little redheads of their own. It takes only one red-haired parent to produce ginger-headed babies, but two redheads obviously create a much stronger possibility. If the gingers really want to save themselves they should move to Scotland. An estimated 40 per cent of Scots carry the red gene and 13 per cent actually have red hair.
The Oxford Hair Foundation 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. Some experts say that redheads could be gone as early as 2060.'-- The Courier-Mail
August 2007: 'In April 2006, many news organizations reported that redheads or "gingers," as our British and Australian friends call them, would eventually become extinct. Other news outlets and blogs picked up the story, citing the "Oxford Hair Foundation" or "genetic scientists" who claimed that there would be no more redheads by as early as 2060.
'The story of redhead extinction has gone around the Internet before, most recently in 2005, with news articles again citing the Oxford Hair Foundation as a source. These articles work on the mistaken assumption that recessive genes -- like the one for red hair -- can "die out." Recessive genes can become rare but don't disappear completely unless everyone carrying that gene dies or fails to reproduce.
'Nearly all of the articles discussing redhead extinction referred to the Oxford Hair Foundation as an "independent" institute or research foundation, but a Google search shows that the Oxford Hair Foundation is funded by Proctor & Gamble, makers of numerous beauty products -- including red hair dye. Independent experts and scientists who have been interviewed agree that the redhead extinction claim is bogus.' -- science.howstuffworks.com
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
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*
p.s. Hey. Someone asked me to rerun this post, I can't remember who. It's dedicated to that whoever, and I hope the rest of you have something going on with it too. One more rerun tomorrow, and then newness and p.s.es will reign here again.