Uploaded December 2024 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
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How Did Red Hair and Blue Eyes Spread to Europe?
Chapters:
0:00 Intro
1:08 Genetics of Red Hair and Blue Eyes
2:23 Did the Neanderthals Have Red Hair & Blue Eyes?
3:11 Origins of Red Hair & Blue Eyes
4:03 Peoples of History with These Traits (Thracians, Scythians etc)
5:45 Vote for Video Topics on Patreon
5:59 Chinese Descriptions of People with Red Hair (& Persia)
8:51 Why Red Hair and Blue Eyes in Europe?
10:44 Scythia, Scotland & Red Hair
As a general overview, red heads have a variant of the melanocortin-1 receptor gene (MC1R) located on chromosome 16, which is involved in melanin production and is the primary driver of red hair. Blue eyes on the other hand are linked to a mutation in the HERC2 gene, which influences the expression of the adjacent OCA2 gene, a gene that is again involved in melanin production. So in order to have red hair and blue eyes, you need to have both this MC1R mutation and also this mutation on the HERC2 gene that effects the expression of the OCA2 gene.
Sources:
Opinion | Red hair: a blessing or a curse? - The Washington Post
Red hair - Wikipedia
Are You Carrying the Redhead Gene | Ginger Gene DNA | Live Science
The genetic causes, ethnic origins and history of red hair - Eupedia
Red hair - Wikipedia
Valverde, P., Healy, E., Jackson, I. et al. Variants of the melanocyte–stimulating hormone receptor gene are associated with red hair and fair skin in humans. Nat Genet 11, 328–330 (1995). doi.org/10.1038/ng1195-328
Bede – The Ecclesiastical History of the English People (Oxford University Press, 1994)
Neanderthals didn't give us red hair but they certainly changed the way we sleep
Are redheads with blue eyes really going extinct? | Pursuit by the University of Melbourne
The people with the reddest hair in the world - BBC News
Oxford Blueprint: 31.05.01: Red hair genes 100,000 years old (archive.org)
Carles Lalueza-Fox et al. A Melanocortin 1 Receptor Allele Suggests Varying Pigmentation Among Neanderthals.Science318,1453-1455(2007).DOI:10.1126/science.1147417
What Causes Red Hair? - 23andMe United Kingdom
Transcription of the Declaration of Arbroath - nrscotland.gov.uk/learning-and-events/the-declaration-of-arbroath/transcription-of-the-declaration-of-arbroath
The genes linked to red hair | The University of Edinburgh
Villanea, F.A., Schraiber, J.G. Multiple episodes of interbreeding between Neanderthal and modern humans. Nat Ecol Evol 3, 39–44 (2019). doi.org/10.1038/s41559-018-0735-8
Morgan, M.D., Pairo-Castineira, E., Rawlik, K. et al. Genome-wide study of hair colour in UK Biobank explains most of the SNP heritability. Nat Commun 9, 5271 (2018). doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-07691-z
DNA reveals Neanderthal redheads — Harvard Gazette
Thracians - Wikipedia
Tarim mummies - Wikipedia
Creative Commons Imagery:
NordNordWest File:Augenfarbe.svg - Wikimedia Commons Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Deed - Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported - Creative Commons
Ivo E. Stankov File:Thrace-ostrusha.jpg - Wikimedia Commons Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic license. Deed - Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5 Generic - Creative Commons
GalaxMaps File:Turkic Languages distribution map.png - Wikimedia Commons Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Deed - Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International - Creative Commons
Photo Balkan File:State of Cuman-Kipchak (13.) en.png - Wikimedia Commons Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Deed - Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported - Creative Commons
Li, C., Ning, C., Hagelberg, E. et al. Analysis of ancient human mitochondrial DNA from the Xiaohe cemetery: insights into prehistoric population movements in the Tarim Basin, China. BMC Genet 16, 78 (2015). doi.org/10.1186/s12863-015-0237-5 CC BY 4.0 Deed - Attribution 4.0 International - Creative Commons
Julian Idrobo from Winnipeg, Canada File:Inuit snow goggles.jpg - Wikimedia Commons Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license. Deed - Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic - Creative Commons
#redhair #blueeyes #history
neanderthal red hair - red hair and blue eyes facts – Western Hunter Gatherers – origins eye color – red hair - history documentary – ginger – ginger hair – mc1r gene – natural hair – blue eyes rarity – hunter eyes – night vision – redhead – origins red heads – mc1r – blue eyed people – blue eyes melanin
Subscribe to Celtic History Decoded: youtube.com/channel/UCCS3M_uNHH2iOJkpGhkO2SA?sub_confirmation=1
Vote For the Video Topics You Want to See - patreon.com/historydecoded
Check Out My Merch Store: celtic-history-decoded.creator-spring.com
How Did Red Hair and Blue Eyes Spread to Europe?
Chapters:
0:00 Intro
1:08 Genetics of Red Hair and Blue Eyes
2:23 Did the Neanderthals Have Red Hair & Blue Eyes?
3:11 Origins of Red Hair & Blue Eyes
4:03 Peoples of History with These Traits (Thracians, Scythians etc)
5:45 Vote for Video Topics on Patreon
5:59 Chinese Descriptions of People with Red Hair (& Persia)
8:51 Why Red Hair and Blue Eyes in Europe?
10:44 Scythia, Scotland & Red Hair
As a general overview, red heads have a variant of the melanocortin-1 receptor gene (MC1R) located on chromosome 16, which is involved in melanin production and is the primary driver of red hair. Blue eyes on the other hand are linked to a mutation in the HERC2 gene, which influences the expression of the adjacent OCA2 gene, a gene that is again involved in melanin production. So in order to have red hair and blue eyes, you need to have both this MC1R mutation and also this mutation on the HERC2 gene that effects the expression of the OCA2 gene.
Sources:
Opinion | Red hair: a blessing or a curse? - The Washington Post
Red hair - Wikipedia
Are You Carrying the Redhead Gene | Ginger Gene DNA | Live Science
The genetic causes, ethnic origins and history of red hair - Eupedia
Red hair - Wikipedia
Valverde, P., Healy, E., Jackson, I. et al. Variants of the melanocyte–stimulating hormone receptor gene are associated with red hair and fair skin in humans. Nat Genet 11, 328–330 (1995). doi.org/10.1038/ng1195-328
Bede – The Ecclesiastical History of the English People (Oxford University Press, 1994)
Neanderthals didn't give us red hair but they certainly changed the way we sleep
Are redheads with blue eyes really going extinct? | Pursuit by the University of Melbourne
The people with the reddest hair in the world - BBC News
Oxford Blueprint: 31.05.01: Red hair genes 100,000 years old (archive.org)
Carles Lalueza-Fox et al. A Melanocortin 1 Receptor Allele Suggests Varying Pigmentation Among Neanderthals.Science318,1453-1455(2007).DOI:10.1126/science.1147417
What Causes Red Hair? - 23andMe United Kingdom
Transcription of the Declaration of Arbroath - nrscotland.gov.uk/learning-and-events/the-declaration-of-arbroath/transcription-of-the-declaration-of-arbroath
The genes linked to red hair | The University of Edinburgh
Villanea, F.A., Schraiber, J.G. Multiple episodes of interbreeding between Neanderthal and modern humans. Nat Ecol Evol 3, 39–44 (2019). doi.org/10.1038/s41559-018-0735-8
Morgan, M.D., Pairo-Castineira, E., Rawlik, K. et al. Genome-wide study of hair colour in UK Biobank explains most of the SNP heritability. Nat Commun 9, 5271 (2018). doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-07691-z
DNA reveals Neanderthal redheads — Harvard Gazette
Thracians - Wikipedia
Tarim mummies - Wikipedia
Creative Commons Imagery:
NordNordWest File:Augenfarbe.svg - Wikimedia Commons Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Deed - Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported - Creative Commons
Ivo E. Stankov File:Thrace-ostrusha.jpg - Wikimedia Commons Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic license. Deed - Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5 Generic - Creative Commons
GalaxMaps File:Turkic Languages distribution map.png - Wikimedia Commons Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Deed - Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International - Creative Commons
Photo Balkan File:State of Cuman-Kipchak (13.) en.png - Wikimedia Commons Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Deed - Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported - Creative Commons
Li, C., Ning, C., Hagelberg, E. et al. Analysis of ancient human mitochondrial DNA from the Xiaohe cemetery: insights into prehistoric population movements in the Tarim Basin, China. BMC Genet 16, 78 (2015). doi.org/10.1186/s12863-015-0237-5 CC BY 4.0 Deed - Attribution 4.0 International - Creative Commons
Julian Idrobo from Winnipeg, Canada File:Inuit snow goggles.jpg - Wikimedia Commons Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license. Deed - Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic - Creative Commons
#redhair #blueeyes #history
neanderthal red hair - red hair and blue eyes facts – Western Hunter Gatherers – origins eye color – red hair - history documentary – ginger – ginger hair – mc1r gene – natural hair – blue eyes rarity – hunter eyes – night vision – redhead – origins red heads – mc1r – blue eyed people – blue eyes melanin
