In many places, blond hair usually goes with white skin and European ancestry. But in the islands of Melanesia and among the Aborigines of Australia, blond hair crops up on dark-skinned people with no known European heritage. Scientists have long wondered, is it because they have some (very, very) long-lost European ancestors? Or did blond hair arise from a genetic mutation in the population there?
A paper published in Science this week lays that question to rest. The researchers found that blond Solomon Islanders in Melanesia have a single amino acid difference in the tyrosinase-related protein 1 (TYRP1) gene, which codes for an enzyme involved in the production of the pigment melanin. Other mutations in TYRP1 can give people albinism; this one gives them light-colored hair. The mutation is recessive, so only people who have two mutant copies of the TYRP1 gene are blond.
This mutation is not responsible for European blondness, which hammers home the fact that pale hair didn’t arrive on a boat with early European explorers—it’s definitely native to the islands.
For the full story and lots of tasty genetics, head over to Discover’s Gene Expression blog, where Razib Khan dissects the paper.
TruthAndRights Member # 17346
posted
Thanks, but we got this a page back already:
posted Quote: This mutation is not responsible for European blondness. .
vwwvv - I take it that you feel no responsibility to actually think about, or fact-check that which you repeat.
Out of curiosity, just which gene do you think causes Blondness in Europeans?
Mike111 Member # 9361
posted
^I take it then that you have checked and found that to be nonsense.
One must always bear in mind one thing:
Albinos are "Degenerate Liars".
If you are an Albino, then you already know this.
For all others; the Albinos have no shame about honesty, their only concern is hiding the fact of their Albinohood, and maintaining the lies of their fantasy history.
So when they say something that seems so blatantly false, that you assume it must be true, only because you think no one would tell you such an obvious lie - Nope, they do it all the time.
Here is a lovely case-in-point:
This Albino baby was born to a Nigerian couple in London: Do you know that to this day, those degenerate lying Albinos still refuse to admit that the baby is an Albino!
Why?
It's obvious - If that baby - which looks like any baby produced by Europeans (as a matter of fact - Albinos tout this type as the "Perfect" child) - is an Albino. Well then, doesn't that make THEIR babies Albinos too?
Ah, the poor delusional, lying Albinos. Living a lie must be tiresome sometimes.
Anglo_Pyramidologist Member # 18853
posted
Mike, one of those Nigerian parents admitted that one of their great-grandparent was 'white', this is just a very rare case of genes resurfacing from white admixture. The same thing happens vice versa.
Mike111 quote: "So when they say something that seems so blatantly false, that you assume it must be true, only because you think no one would tell you such an obvious lie - Nope, they do it all the time."
Ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,ha.
IronLion Member # 16412
posted
quote:Originally posted by Anglo_Pyramidologist: Mike, one of those Nigerian parents admitted that one of their great-grandparent was 'white', this is just a very rare case of genes resurfacing from white admixture. The same thing happens vice versa.
posted 
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)