While our species, Homo sapiens, boasts surprisingly low genetic diversity, our physical traits hint at past adventures. During our vacation in UK we tried to dig into these adventures.
When we think of typical Europeans we think of blue eye, fair skin and blond hair. Such looks did not exist 8000 years ago. Only 8-10% of humans today have blue eyes, but, in UK the number of is as high as ~ 44% (Scandinavians have the highest).
Blue eyes hold a strong presence in UK, reaching nearly half the population in Scotland. Around 20% of Scots have blonde hair. Interestingly, some, like the iconic comic character Archie, boast fiery red hair.
Imagine traveling back 8,000 years. Gone would be the blue-eyed, fair-skinned Europeans we know today. Instead, we’d encounter European hunter-gatherers with a striking contrast – dark skin, dark hair, and yet, remarkably, blue eyes.
Fast forward a few millennia, and the arrival of farmers, possibly those associated with Stonehenge, brings a new twist. These newcomers possessed light skin, but dark hair and brown eyes. The intermixing of these populations led to a combination of light skin and blue eyes, but dark hair probably remained prevalent.
What about blonde hair mutation? The earliest evidence points not to Europe, but to a surprising location – an Ancient North Eurasian individual dwelling near Lake Baikal in Siberia 17,000 years ago. The high frequency of this mutation in central and western Europe today hints at a significant migration of people with Ancient North Eurasian ancestry. This influx likely played a crucial role in shaping the “classic” northern European look.
But the story doesn’t end there. We still have to explain Archie’s hair? Genetic analysis reveals that redheads don’t originate from our own species, Homo sapiens, but from our extinct cousins, the Neanderthals!
Wiki
