A common variant for red hair in Europeans found in Neolithic Europe

[Doggerland]

I did another big run for SNPs that differ between the European founding populations. One of the interesting findings is this:

The sample Kolin6 from the Stroke Ornament Pottery(Stichbandkeramik) from Czechia carries the T allele of rs1805008 that is associated with red hair: https://www.snpedia.com/index.php/Rs1805008

https://www.ebi.ac.uk/ena/browser/view/SAMEA5542775

https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1818037116

 

[Stefano]

Red hair origin is always interesting. It appears it was present in europe before the R1b invasions.
According to this site which lists pigmentation of many ancient samples (don'tknow how reliable it is)https://genetiker.wordpress.com/pigmentation/
the oldest one is found in Mesolithic romania

I4582

Romania MHG

7021–6473 BC

Medium

Red

Blue

followed by a corded ware sample

Spiginas 2

Corded Ware LT LN

2130–1750 BC

NA

Red

Blue

with a huge gap of 5000 years
and then a bell beaker sample

I2787

Bell Beaker HU CA

2457–2201 BC

Light

Red

Brown

and a Jordan(!) one.

I1730

Jordan EBA

2489–2299 BC

Light

Red

Blue

Thereare a couple more of bell beaker samples. I would tend to think that the Czechia stroke ornament sample got it from a source similar to the romania mesolitic hunter gatherer and then the Steppe invaders got it from that and spread it. What do you think? The area of Stroke-ornamented ware culture is not far from romania and is about in the corded ware area.
All the old samples concentrate in central-east europe (aside from the jordan one).

 

[Doggerland]

I would tend to think that the Czechia stroke ornament sample got it from a source similar to the romania mesolitic hunter gatherer and then the Steppe invaders got it from that and spread it.

The mesolithic Romanian sample is labeled as Iron Gates HG and this population is already mixed with Early Neolithic Farmers.

The mtDNA is K1, which can be of Neolithic, but also Magdalenian origin.
Hard to say, where the allele originates.

I had another strange thing with another red hair causing allele in rs2228479
The allele is found in a Latvian Hunter Gatherer I4432 but also in a middle Neolithic sample from Sicily I4063. A connection of both is unlikely.

MC1R mutations are very common in mammals and exists in dogs, mice, rats, cats, guinea pigs, horses and many more. Maybe those alleles do not have a common origin, but appear spontaneous everywhere in a species. I think latitidual selection plays a greater role than origin.