Redheads Going Extinct?

Mo Rocca has appeared on a bunch of shows, including 'The Daily Show,' 'I Love the 80s,'...

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Posted Aug 23rd 2007 1:11PM by Ben Greenman
Filed under: Science, Bizarre

Better Red Than Dead

According to a story in National Geographic, redheads are not long for this earth. Not individual redheads, of course: your eccentric aunt or hot girlfriend or the boy at camp who won't go canoeing because he burns will live a long and rewarding life. But redheads as a species are nearly through. The phenomenon, which began thousands of years ago in Europe, originally helped to increase the body's ability to produce vitamin D from sunlight. Now, though, the mutation has outlasted its usefulness and redheads may be extinct within a hundred years. Meanwhile, please enjoy this presentation by Professor Eric Cartman.

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Reader Comments ( Page 3 of 13)

Previous 15 Comments | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Most Recent | Next 15 Comments

31. My mom was not a redhead, nor was my dad, but his beard was red when it grew out. However out of 10 children, 5 of us were redheads! So, in my family, red was definately the dominant gene. 3 of us have green eyes, 1 blue and 1 brown. We all burn, peel, and freckle. There are more readheads in the second and third generations. I don't think "Gingers" are going anywhere. Not with our Scotch-Irish heritage.

Betty Jo at 4:29PM on Aug 25th 2007

32. For the gal who stated she had two black haired parents and was a red head? Well, this is not genetically possible...They probably were dark brown haired, because black hair is 2 dominant genes and 2 parents with 2 dominant gene patterns wouldn't be able to have a red haired child..Unless of course like I said they truly were just dark brown, brown haired people have a dominant gene and a recessive gene and that would allow them to have a red head..the possibilities are slimmer for 2 brown haired, but possible

michelle at 4:45PM on Aug 26th 2007

33. This is exactly why I HATE South Park!! Really took offense to that!! I have red-hair and absolutely wouldn't change it for the world! Red-heads will not become extinct. Sorry thats just insane/ridiculous! RED-HEADS=HOTTNESS!!!!

Amber at 7:05PM on Aug 25th 2007

34. as long as there is l'oreal, color silk, or any other hair color factory...there will be red heads count on it. for awhile, i thought every woman out there was going (artificially ofcourse)blonde. and a few brown-heads....thats' why, i colored my hair RED. My niece also is a fair-skin, freckled face, natural red head. She is probably the main reason why i colored my hair red.

justme at 7:08PM on Aug 25th 2007

35. As a natural redhead, I don't believe we will disappear. I have 2 boys who took after their father with sandy blonde hair. My best friend and her husband both have light brown hair and their son has bright red hair. Whenever we go out together, everyone thinks he belongs to me. I joked when she was expecting their daughter that if she was a redhead, I was going to steal her. She has light brown hair. I always wanted a red headed daughter to name after my Granny who was a redhead also. My boys are fair skinned and they both are starting to get freckles on their nose and cheeks, so I hope they at least have some red highlights. They are perfect with or without Mommy's hair.

April at 7:33PM on Aug 25th 2007

36. It's fun having red hair..I always got alot of attention growing up. Especially because I have bright honey colored red hair with green eyes..and peaches and cream complextion..Not too many freckles. I'm just now starting to get some white hairs..and i'm near 50. skipping the grey..I've still yet to ever color my hair. yep, stay out of the sun..rather look young and white,..then old, tan and leathery...anyday. We are fiesty and fun..aren't we?

pallen at 12:19AM on Aug 26th 2007

37. I have a red headed son and he has 2 redheaded children. Neither my husband or I have red hair. My mom and my brother do. Red is beautiful and freckles are cute. But they disappear on men when they start shaving

Joyce Carter at 5:49AM on Aug 26th 2007

38. I disagree. There are 8-10 in my family. My son, his wife and their 3 chidren are all beautiful redheads!!! Plus cousins.

kathy at 8:44AM on Aug 26th 2007

39. Some redheads are meant to be....my daughter found to have breast cancer...chemo she lost all her hair...came back in red (again) and just as curly as it can be...she is fair and radiation giving her problems...and she needs chemo again, but smaller dose...hopefully she will keep her hair and THIS WILL BE THE TREATMENT THAT IS FINAL. Am very proud of her,she has endured a lot of stress and is coming through this will a great outlook.

J. Griffin at 9:14AM on Aug 28th 2007

40. Re #17:
It won't eliminate racism just because we are all the same color (which is unlikely in the first place. There have been serious ethnic conflicts all over the world for millenia. Consider the Jews and Palestinians, who are both Semites and often resemble each other. Think of Native American tribes that killed each other. Think of Northern Ireland, and for that matter, every civil war that ever was.

OomYaaqub at 11:36AM on Aug 26th 2007

41. I am a redhead, born with it 57 years ago and still have it, my dad is 76 with a full head of red hair, my brother passed away last Dec. he also had red hair as do two of his sons. I have had all 3 types of skin cancer, so be careful of that sun!

Paula at 12:39PM on Aug 26th 2007

42. I hated my red hair as a child. I got teased to no end. But at 16 when that gorgeous ski instructor came over to me an announced, in front of all those COOL brunettes and blondes, that red heads were HOT, I started enjoying my revenge. I'm 45, have long red hair, and am still enjoying the advantages

Michele at 2:49PM on Aug 26th 2007

43. Here we go again! First of all, what science did you use to come up with this cornpone idea?
The red hair in my family originated in and during the dust bowl years in Oklahoma, and Kansas. I don't believe there was any need for a mutation to help those bodies collect more vitamin D. Maybe a mutation that caused them to be born with straw hats and desert water bags?
Charley

Charley at 2:53PM on Aug 26th 2007

44. My first kiss/love was with a woman who was a red head and she was super cute! Ahh the memory.:)

indianafun789 at 8:30AM on Aug 27th 2007

45. I am bald. I wish I had red hair. I wish I had any color hair.

John at 6:01PM on Aug 26th 2007

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Mo Rocca appears on a bunch of shows, including CBS News Sunday Morning (with the indescribably wonderful Charles Osgood), The Tonight Show on NBC, and NPR's Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! He's a sometime judge on Iron Chef and was featured on Telemundo's Amore Descarado. Last year he starred on Broadway in the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. His expose "All the President's Pets" was published by Crown in 2004.