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Red hair (also referred to as " Auburn ", " Ginger " or " Titian ") is a Hair Color that varies from a deep red through to bright copper. People with red hair are often dubbed '''redheads'''. HISTORICAL DISTRIBUTION Red hair is most commonly found at both the west and eastern fringes of modern Europe . Although red hair is commonly associated with those in Britain and Ireland (more specifically the Scots and Irish), dark red or reddish-tinged hair can be found in a few other Caucasian populations. The Galatian invasion of 275 BC has resulted in a smattering of red hair in the population of modern-day Turkey as well as western Iran . The Berber and Kabylie populations of northern Algeria have occasional red heads. The Classical Greek historian, Herodotus described the " Budini " (probably Votyak and Permyak Finns ) as being predominantly redheaded. Sweden also has a significant redhead population. Red hair also occurs amongst people of mixed African and European descent such as Malcolm X . It is also found to a small but significant extent among Ashkenazi Jews . Red hair is also sometimes found in areas other than the far fringes of Europe, Japan Yamamoto M., and Neel J.V. "A note on red hair on the Island of Hirado, Japan". ''Jinrui Idengaku Zasshi''. March 1967. 11 (4), pp 257-62., all the way to modern day Iran and Pakistan , where it can be found most commonly amongst those of Iranian descent, such as the Pashtun people. commented on the "red hair and large limbs of the inhabitants of Caledonia {Link without Title} " (''The Life of Agricola'', Ch. 11), which he linked with some red haired German/Belgic Gaul ish tribes. , who invaded in the 12th century, also had a substantial number of redheads. Highland Cattle are also notably ginger. Until the 19th Century , black and brown forms of Highland cattle were more prevalent; however, Queen Victoria 's love of the Highlands influenced her decree that Highland cattle be selectively bred for a Toffee colored-coat. Highland cattle have been orange ever since. It is estimated that between 2–3% of the United States population have red hair. {Link without Title} BIOCHEMISTRY AND GENETICS OF RED HAIR singer/songwriter Loreena McKennitt has naturally fiery tresses]] The biochemistry of red hair, discovered only in is highest in Scotland and Ireland. MC1R is found on Chromosome 16. The Genetics of red hair is now being uncovered, together with connections between red hair and Melanoma , Skin Disorder s in general, and different reactions to Anaesthesia . There is evidence for genetic linkage of Eye Color with other hair colors such as brown hair, but MC1R is not linked to eye color. The inheritance of red hair is close to what geneticists describe as an Autosomal recessive mode of inheritance. This means that the parents of red-haired children may carry the gene for red hair but not have red hair themselves. It is this aspect of the inheritance of red hair that tends to lead to the various permutations of the Milkman Joke . There is also evidence that red hair may be an example of Incomplete Dominance . This is similar to a simply recessive trait, but rather than not expressing at all when only one copy of the red hair allele is present, red hair blends with the other hair color, resulting in the very different types of red hair including strawberry blond (red-blonde) and auburn (red-brown). Redheads are more susceptible to thermal pain. In people with red hair, the cells that produce skin and hair pigment have a dysfunctional melanocortin 1 receptor. Edwin Liem (researcher at the Outcomes Research Institute of the than do either women of other hair colors or men of any hair color. Robin Cook was one of many redheaded Scots .]] Red hair is one of the most rare types of hair color in humans, if not the rarest, and it can be described in many ways. It varies in description from ginger, to auburn, to strawberry, to just red in the English language. Many studies have been done on MC1R the gene that codes for hair color, eye color, skin color, and Ultraviolet Light sensitivity, and red hair has been one of the focuses in these studies due to its relationship with UV sensitivity, fair skin, and freckling. These studies have found that there seems to be a relationship with that the alleles that code for red hair and UV sensitivity. Red hair and its relationship to skin sensitive to UV radiation is currently of interest to a lot of melanoma researchers. Sunshine can both be good and bad for a person's health and the different alleles on MC1R represent these adaptations. It has been hypothesized in studies by Bodmer and Cavalli-Sforza (1976) that lighter skin pigmentation prevented rickets in colder latitudes by encouraging higher levels of Vitamin D production. Light colours also retain heat better than do dark colours -- although they similarly absorb heat less, but this has little significance when there is little to be absorbed, as in far-northern climes where sunlight is scarce for much of the year. On the other hand, it also has been shown in studies by Rees (2002a, 2002b) that individuals with pale skin are highly susceptible to a variety of skin cancers such as melanoma, basal cell carcinoma, and squamous cell carcinoma. Moreover, on MC1R, where the alleles that code for red hair occur, so do the alleles that impact skin color so it seems that the phenotypic expression for lighter skin and red hair are interrelated. The alleles Arg151Cys, Arg160Trp, Asp294His, and Arg142His on MC1R, are shown to be recessives for the red hair phenotype in studies by Harding, et al. (2000). Europeans that are heterozygous for red hair exhibit increased sensitivity to UV radiation in studies by Rees (2004). Studies by Healy et al (2000) show that red hair alleles in MC1R effect increased freckling and decreased tanning ability. Conversely, people with darker skin and hair, which gives them increased UVR protection, are at risk of Vitamin D deficiency as shown in studies by Holick (2001). In studies by Harding, et al. (2000), the age of red hair Arg151Cys and Arg160Trp variants is estimated at 80,000 years which is consistent with the wide geographic distribution of the alleles. KWASHIORKOR CONDITION In cases of severe Malnutrition , normally dark human hair may turn red or blond. The condition, known as Kwashiorkor , is a sign of critical starvation caused chiefly by Protein deficiency, and is common during periods of Famine . RED HAIR IN POPULAR CULTURE Queen Elizabeth I of England was a redhead, and during the Elizabethan era in England, red hair was fashionable. This was also the case during the rule of redhead Oliver Cromwell . In several Muslim countries such as Pakistan , Henna is used on greying hair to give it a bright red appearance. {Link without Title} As well as being valorized, red hair is also subject to ribbing and ridicule. For example, in the UK and Ireland, the pejorative term "ginger Minger " is sometimes used to describe red headed people. When used in this derogatory way, "ginger" is often pronounced to rhyme with 'ringer' (as opposed to ). The derogatory use of the word "ginger" is almost completely limited to Ireland, the United Kingdom and Australia and is generally unknown in North America. The "gingerphobia" has been satirised on a number of TV shows. The British comedian Catherine Tate appeared in a running sketch in an episode of '' The Catherine Tate Show '' in which she was forced to seek solace in a refuge for ginger people; the pejorative use of the word "ginger", and related discrimination, was used to illustrate a point about racism and prejudice in the " Ginger Kids " episode of '' South Park ''; and the British comedy '' Bo' Selecta! '' featured a spoof documentary which involved a caricature of red-haired Simply Red singer Mick Hucknall presenting a show in which celebrities (played by themselves) dyed their hair ginger for a day and went about daily life being insulted by people. The term "redheaded step-child" is common to both North America and the United Kingdom, used as in the sense "I wouldn't treat a redheaded step-child as cruelly". A child who is from a different Birthright to the assumedly belligerant parent, and whose uncommon appearance makes this quite obvious, therefore resulting in discrimatory unfavourable treatment due to the parent being particularly obnoxious and insecure about their public image. On the other hand, there are some individuals who describe themselves as ''redophiles''. They have a strong love for, and usually are sexually attracted to, redheads. As in any Paraphilia , there are varying degrees to which a self-described redophile holds their desire. While some people favor red hair solely for its exotic aesthetic allure, others are more passionate, and insist on lavishing their attention only on natural redheads because they believe that they possess certain desired physical characteristics such as freckles, or pale skin that never Tans . It is often the case that ginger hair darkens or lightens considerably as people get older, becoming brown or blonde, and this phenomenon leads some to associate red hair with youthfulness, a quality that is generally considered to be a desirable characteristic, particularly among women. In addition to these physical traits, redheads are also often characterised as being more passionate, feisty or adventurous than non-redheads. This also extends to the stereotype that redheads have particularly "fiery" Many painters have exhibited a fascination with red hair. The colour "titian" takes its name from , whose famous painting, The Birth Of Venus , depicts the mythological goddess, Venus , as a redhead. Famous redheads include Boudica , D.H. Lawrence , Woody Allen , Julianne Moore and Ron Howard . See Also: List of famous redheads MYTHS AND STORIES RELATED TO RED HAIR
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