• Scientists try to find out why so many Scottish people are ginger, no plans to investigate origins o
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[quote=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-20237511][h2]A project is being launched which aims to find out how many people in Scotland carry the red hair gene.[/h2] Researchers from the ScotlandsDNA project also hope to discover why Scotland appears to have the most red-headed people in the world. Only about 1-2% of the world's population has red hair, but in Scotland the figure is much higher at around 13% or about 650,000 people. The information will be used to make a "ginger" map of the British Isles. Researchers at the ScotlandsDNA project believe the figure for Scottish red hair gene carriers may be much higher, and could be as many as 1.6m. A person who doesn't have red hair can still produce red haired children if their partner is a carrier of a gene. Red hair appears in people with two copies of a recessive gene on chromosome 16 which causes a mutation in the MC1R protein and can often skip generations. Contrary to popular belief, the gene is not dying out and will most likely continue for many generations to come. The ScotlandsDNA project is launching a new test which costs £25 and will tell participants whether or not they're a carrier of a red haired gene. It will also inform them of which of three types of the gene they have, and possibly provide some insight into why Scotland is the most red-headed nation on earth. [h2]Ginger kids[/h2] Managing director of ScotlandsDNA Alastair Moffat is keen to map the number of possible carriers of the gene in Scotland and attempt to explain why there are so many Scots red-heads. "It's not necessarily the people who have red hair that interest us at ScotlandsDNA, what we want to do is discover who carries the red hair gene variant," Mr Moffat told BBC Scotland. "I think that's a much larger number. For example, in my own family, I have three kids and two of them have red hair - and while I haven't got much hair, it's certainly not red, and neither has my wife. "In either side of our families, there was no red hair - and I thought, where has this come from? That was what got me interested. "We're looking at people who have already had their DNA tested by Scotland's DNA, which is simple for us to do. "But they have to be tested first, and then we can tell them if they're carriers of the red-head variant." [h2]Red hair DNA[/h2] All physical colouring is a mixture of two pigments; black melanin and red/yellow melanin, but in red-heads a particular receptor in the pathway for pigmentation, MC1R, is disrupted and black melanin is suppressed while red/yellow melanin is allowed to be made. The result is red hair, light skin colour, often freckles and a greater sensitivity to sunlight. The three types of red-head gene are: Cysteine-red (or R151C) is carried by 10% of British people Tryptophan-red (or R160W) is carried by 9% of British people Histidine-red (or D294H) is carried by 2.5% of British people There are other, much rarer, variants but for a child to have red hair, both parents must be carriers and there is a 25% chance that their offspring will have it, which is known as "recessive inheritance". Mr Moffat believes the origins of the gene are more an adaptation to Scotland's poor weather. Mr Moffat added: "I think it's to do with sunshine - we all need vitamin D from sunshine - but Scotland is cloudy, we have an Atlantic climate and we need light skin to get as much vitamin D from the Sun as possible."[/quote] This should be interesting to see the results of, I actually didn't know there was truth behind the whole Scots are ginger thing.
Don't forget: "The obsession of putting stuff in the deep-frier" and "finding bagpipes musical".
[QUOTE=Thaard;38394908]Don't forget: "The obsession of putting stuff in the deep-frier" and "finding bagpipes musical".[/QUOTE] do people really hate bagpipes or is it just a running joke?
[QUOTE=Matrix374;38394919]do people really hate bagpipes or is it just a running joke?[/QUOTE] Both, those two facts amplify each other.
Personally, I thought it was down to Celtic genealogy.
Ginger girls are hot.
My mate is ginger because he's a faggot.
[QUOTE=Scot;38395015]My mate is ginger because he's a faggot.[/QUOTE] I know man, you're friend is such a faggot.
Accordingly, ginger hair dates back to Neanderthals. I'd say a lot of Scottish folk have a high proportion of remnant Neanderthal DNA.
[QUOTE=Amy Pond;38394990]Ginger girls are hot.[/QUOTE] Especially you, babe.
[QUOTE=Flyboi;38395076]Accordingly, ginger hair dates back to Neanderthals. I'd say a lot of Scottish folk have a high proportion of remnant Neanderthal DNA.[/QUOTE] By seeing some of the people who live here I totally agree with you
[QUOTE=Flyboi;38395076]Accordingly, ginger hair dates back to Neanderthals. I'd say a lot of Scottish folk have a high proportion of remnant Neanderthal DNA.[/QUOTE] Explains the alcoholism and swearing.
my brother's beard is ginger and his hair is dark brown. does he have a soul.
[QUOTE=Thaard;38394908]Don't forget: "The obsession of putting stuff in the deep-frier" and "finding bagpipes musical".[/QUOTE] What? Bagpipes sound awesome.
[QUOTE=OHNOES;38395467]What? Bagpipes sound awesome.[/QUOTE] So long as you are standing > 1 mile away other wise you are going to be deaf.
[QUOTE=Zarjk;38395400]my brother's beard is ginger and his hair is dark brown. does he have a soul.[/QUOTE] Sounds like my beard and hair, except my beard only has a slight tint of ginger, while my hair and eyebrows and really fucking dark brown.
[QUOTE=RichyZ;38395449]yes, but don't you find it inhumane to see his soul being slowly sucked out of him by the beard?[/QUOTE] i must save him by having him shave his unholy beard
I fucking love gingers... sadly, most scottish gingers aren't hot gingers :(
But I like bagpipes. :(
Celtic people origionated on the Iberian peninsula so I don't think that has much to do with it. Modern scots are a combination of pictish, gaelic and norse ancestry, all of which have a fairly high redhead popuulation. Combine that with the climate of scotland and you've got an environment that propogates redhead genes. Also, bagpipes are the shit.
Scotland is great.
Scotland represent! Thank God I'm not ginger.
[QUOTE=Amy Pond;38394990]Ginger girls are hot.[/QUOTE] I give you exhibit A [IMG]http://images.icnetwork.co.uk/upl/icwales2/mar2011/7/1/karen-gillan-962173826.jpg[/IMG]'
[QUOTE=Bredirish123;38398610]I give you exhibit A [IMG]http://images.icnetwork.co.uk/upl/icwales2/mar2011/7/1/karen-gillan-962173826.jpg[/IMG]'[/QUOTE] You know who you just quoted right?
[QUOTE=alien_guy;38398647]You know who you just quoted right?[/QUOTE] Jesus Christ :quagmire:
[QUOTE=OHNOES;38395467]What? Bagpipes sound awesome.[/QUOTE] Fuck yeah they do! Love me some pipes. [editline]10th November 2012[/editline] [QUOTE=Bredirish123;38398610]I give you exhibit A [IMG]http://images.icnetwork.co.uk/upl/icwales2/mar2011/7/1/karen-gillan-962173826.jpg[/IMG]'[/QUOTE] I do love me some firecrotch :v:
[QUOTE=ewitwins;38398665]I do love me some firecrotch :v:[/QUOTE] Eww man, herpes.
The only Scottish guy I know has black hair... :l
ive always wondered is frankie boyle ginger
[QUOTE=lolwutdude;38398995]ive always wondered is frankie boyle ginger[/QUOTE] [img]http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Media/Columnists/Columnists/2010/12/1/1291201819556/Frankie-Boyle-in-Tramadol-006.jpg[/img]
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