I recently read a blog that mentioned the pending extinction of Redheads. That got my attention because I grew up, red. Sure, years have washed away that innocent strawberry blaze that gave me the enviable branding of being hot-tempered and volatile; after all, being a redhead was synonymous with stubborn, hardheaded, and surly; And let me tell you being told that all of the time makes one pretty prickly. But sure enough, In September of 2011, in Glasgow, Scotland Genetic Scientist have confirmed the projection that the last redhead will be born in 2015.
Redheads or “gingers,” as British and Australian citizens call them, are going extinct. The Scotland Genetic Center, made up of some of the world’s top redheaded genetic scientists, have predicted that there will be no more redheads born after 2015 and very few walking the planet in 2050.
The recessive gene for red hair is dying out.
It is not showing up with the frequency it once did. Even if a woman or man is carrying the “red hair” gene today – there are very few. There have been rumors of redhead extinction before, but now genetic experts around the world agree that redhead extinction is inevitable.
Red hair is caused by a mutation in the MC1R gene. It’s also a recessive trait, so it takes both parents passing on a mutated version of the MC1R gene to produce a redheaded child. It used to a skip a generation – but scientists have said the “skipping” is coming to an end.
Global intermingling, which broadens the availability of possible partners, has reduced the chances of redheads meeting and so producing little redheads of their own is diminishing rapidly.
Although it takes only one red-haired parent to produce ginger babies, two redheads obviously creates a much stronger possibility. And for some reason, redheads are no longer attracted to each other.
If the gingers want to save themselves they will have to start breeding with other gingers. “They need to make more redheaded babies,” said Dr. Sean Darby. ”Their only hope is if redheads mate and produce three or four babies each. The odds will increase. Otherwise – bye-bye redheads.”
I’m reminded of reading about the saber-tooth tiger whose evolved fine-tuned spacing of its canine teeth helped immensely to kill its preferred prey of a single type of gazelle. So well matched that when the Saber tooth Tiger bit down on the gazelle’s neck its teeth neatly severed the gazelle’s carotid arteries, making for an instant kill. The problem arose when the gazelle died out. Can you imagine all the Saber tooth conversation at the watering hole?
“Great, Now what am I going to do with these monsters?”
I did a flirting glance at what a world without redheads would be like. You can see a future humorless world. People like Carol Burnett and Lucille Ball will not be replaced. And let’s not forget Margaret Sanger, the advocate for birth control; she successfully mobilized American women to take active roles in the decision to have or not have children; so plan on more competition being born. Then there’s Geri Halliwell, aka Ginger Spice from the Spice Girls, Nicole Kidman and the list goes on and on . Other Entertainer’s too like Bernadette Peters will obviously leave a hard to fill void.
Now to be fair Redheads are also well represented in the villain department as well. Characters such as Judas Iscariot and Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme from the Charles Manson Gang, you got to admit redheads don’t drag their feet when they’ve a roll to play. And then there’s Lizzie Borden, the famous hatchet murderess, Napoleon Bonaparte (depending on which side of the cannon you’re standing and looking) and L.Ron Hubbard, should you lean towards Scientology as a cult or not. But hey, Redheads were not just great entertainers: You got Cleopatra, Oliver Cromwell, Emily Dickinson, Antonio Vivaldi and yes, our own Amer-i-can Willie Nelson. And that’s not even calling in on the big guns like Thomas Jefferson, Vincent Van Gogh, James Joyce, Mark Twain and Galileo Galilei…you know the Italian astronomer who gave us the laws of motion and falling bodies and projectiles? And forget the slightly shaded paths of Vladimir Lenin, Malcolm X or King David…they were world shakers and life changers…well….all of that to say….goodbye yellow brick road…yes….Sir Elton John’s natural hair color is Red.
"You’ll miss us"
….as we ride off into the sunset of eternity on our domesticated Saber tooth tigers….giddy up.
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