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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Redheads Going Extinct?
Posted Aug 23rd 2007 1:11PM by Ben Greenman
Filed under: Science, Bizarre
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Reader Comments ( Page 5 of 13)
61. Redheads will have a tendency to disappear into the background of less recessive genes, but we make up for it because we have more children. Genes don't tend to go away unless you have a genocide. The genes for red hair, pale skin, and green or blue eyes will always be there, waiting for two people with the recessive gene to get together. Since the genes for red hair also make for athletic sexual performance, wide ranging sexual contacts, and cause the person with red hair to be almost pathologically attractive to other potential mates (red heads continue to sleep around a lot while they are married--it's a part of the ancient origins of the gene; we were the vikings, the russians--"russ" means "redhead"--and other groups who had to breed widely and constantly in order to survive).
Gabby Hayes at 8:34AM on Aug 28th 2007
62. My husband and I, and our two sons, all have red hair. We get a wide range of comments/questions, from the completely absurd "uhh....are you like, brother and sister or something" to the hysterical "you guys should keep having lots and lots of kids! redheads are going to be extinct, ya know! Keep having babies!"
Well, we'll do our best to keep our species populating the earth...lol.
Jamie at 9:13AM on Aug 28th 2007
63. DONT SAY THAT..REDHEADS ARE A CLASSIC..
IT WOULD BE A DISASTER TO LOSE THEM..
EDDY at 11:28AM on Aug 28th 2007
64. I am a black man and all I date is red heads. I would hate to think that red heads are going extinctm because not all black men prefer blonds. Although they prefer us....
johnny at 11:33AM on Aug 28th 2007
65. Redheads Rock! I am one and so is my brother. I hated being a redhead as a child becuase I was different, now I am glad I am different. I recently moved to North Carolina and have seen more redheads then ever. We are strong and will not be extinct any time soon.
Mary Ellen at 11:40AM on Aug 28th 2007
66. I'm a redhead. My Mother and Father weren't but my grandmother was. My hair is reddish blonde but mostly red. I do tan, with freckles and green eyes. I used to hate my hair but now that I am older I get more compliments on my hair, mostly from men.
Christina at 10:45PM on Aug 28th 2007
67. I read that it was blonde hair that was phasing out.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/2284783.stm
AstralV at 12:28AM on Aug 30th 2007
68. I am a redhead. Neither of my children is, but my sister (who is a brunette) has three red-headed boys. Even the new nurse at my daughter's school has identical twin sons who are redheads. Maybe there is hope for us yet?
laura at 1:48PM on Aug 29th 2007
69. I have black hair(mostly), but I also have red, auburn, and blonde highlights.. I wish more of my red hair came out than anything... I was a blonde baby too.. go figure..
Hypie5143 at 2:09PM on Aug 29th 2007
70. I'm a redhead and the wierdest thing about it is that i am the 3rd redhead in my family ( maternal and paternal!! ) I'm also the youngest one ( 18 ) Its so funny bc i look like im adopted when im out with my family ( all have brown hair/eyes ) LOL Im very proud of my red hair. Its more orange than red. Alot of ppl think it goes amazing with my emerald green eyes!! :D The only reason why im a redhead is bc my family's heritage is part scottish but the other half is armenian so that would explain the dark hair/eyes that everyone has... RED HEADS ARE THE NEW BLONDES!!!!! :D (except only smarter LOL jk jk )
Emalee at 4:43PM on Aug 29th 2007
71. Eccentric ?, hot ?, and well, yes we do burn thank you very much, but how in your simple mind did you come up with we are hot and eccentric?? We are no more eccentric or hot than the next person. At least, we are not born that way. If there would be any truth to this, it's because of the simple minded people who surround us during our life and make it difficult for us as children and teenagers to exist like others. We have to take teasing and all types of humiliation which I did very well, thank you. I have read science reports saying freckles are deformaties. Also, as a teenager, do you think it's fun trying to "tan" like your girlfriends and end up burnt to a crisp? Oh, yeah, you forgot, we are witches too! You are a very ignorant writer and the point you are trying to make could have been made in many other ways. Everything I have ever done in my life has been because I am either an only child or because I have red hair. Imagine that? What is your excuse?
Janis Peace at 7:16PM on Aug 29th 2007
72. I also think this report is a bit bogus. Just spin the big wheel and see where the arrow points to. I've dated two women with auburn/red hair when I was in college and I have fond memories of them. Red hair on a woman is very attractive.
Johnny at 10:57PM on Aug 29th 2007
73. Hell this is just as stupid as saying white people will be extinct from skin cancer and only blacks will survive.
Sam at 9:40AM on Aug 30th 2007
74. My husband has blond hair and I have brown hair - 2 of our 3 children have red hair (a great grandmother on my side with red hair and a grandmother on his side). When I was growing up only 1 person in our school was redheaded. My children were always on teams with at least one other redhead. I think redheads are going to take over the world because they really seem to be multiplying & you see them everywhere.
Nancy at 10:27AM on Aug 30th 2007
75. Redheads going extinct??? I have red hair, which turns blonde with sunlight exposure. One of my two granddaughters has a darker shade of red hair. None of my three children are redheads. My husband and his family had no redheads, but he and I share ancestory from 3-4 generations back on his paternal side. Seriously! I doubt that redheads will ever be extinct! Neither of my parents were redheads!
Victoria Peggs at 11:40AM on Aug 31st 2007