Angela
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Dienekes points us to a new study about the impact of a MCIR haplotype introgression from Neanderthals that is associated with red hair and pale skin.
http://dienekes.blogspot.com/2014/06/neandertal-origin-of-mc1r-haplotypes.html
Strangely, the introgression in Europeans is low (about 5%), and is much higher in East Asians(30%), and very high in the Taiwanese (60-70%) who don't have many red-heads, so far as I know. That does correlate, however, with the fact that other studies have shown higher levels of Neanderthal introgression in east Asia versus Europe.
From the distribution, it is higher at the margins...Ireland to Micronesia.
Perhaps it is expressed in anatomically modern humans as red hair/pale skin only in the presence of other alleles? As the scientists keep telling us, pigmentation traits are polygenic.
It is also being discussed at 23andme: https://www.23andme.com/you/community/thread/30510/
GG here, no risk alleles, and yet I've been hospitalized for sun burns on more than one occasion, so go figure. Maybe I can stop worrying about melanoma?
http://dienekes.blogspot.com/2014/06/neandertal-origin-of-mc1r-haplotypes.html
Strangely, the introgression in Europeans is low (about 5%), and is much higher in East Asians(30%), and very high in the Taiwanese (60-70%) who don't have many red-heads, so far as I know. That does correlate, however, with the fact that other studies have shown higher levels of Neanderthal introgression in east Asia versus Europe.
From the distribution, it is higher at the margins...Ireland to Micronesia.
Perhaps it is expressed in anatomically modern humans as red hair/pale skin only in the presence of other alleles? As the scientists keep telling us, pigmentation traits are polygenic.
It is also being discussed at 23andme: https://www.23andme.com/you/community/thread/30510/
GG here, no risk alleles, and yet I've been hospitalized for sun burns on more than one occasion, so go figure. Maybe I can stop worrying about melanoma?