Whats some good information on redheads?

Question:The latest thing I've heard, which was of interest to me since the gene for red hair runs in our family, is that it is thought to be a very old gene, possibly dating from Neanderthal man.
The Biology section may have a contributor who has studied genetics - an academic subject a little before my time I'm afraid (I'm struggling with "Genetics for Dummies" at the moment) - and able to give you more info.
P.S. to Ted's contribution - Criminals had hair colour included in their descriptions, too, so if you have an ancestor who went to Oz in chains, you will be able to find his or her hair colour.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: The latest thing I've heard, which was of interest to me since the gene for red hair runs in our family, is that it is thought to be a very old gene, possibly dating from Neanderthal man.
The Biology section may have a contributor who has studied genetics - an academic subject a little before my time I'm afraid (I'm struggling with "Genetics for Dummies" at the moment) - and able to give you more info.
P.S. to Ted's contribution - Criminals had hair colour included in their descriptions, too, so if you have an ancestor who went to Oz in chains, you will be able to find his or her hair colour.

The memory of a red-gold triangle atop milk-white thighs can make some older genealogists sigh as they recall the high points of their mis-spent youth.

Most genealogical records omit hair color, so you're on your own there. WW I draft records have hair color,though.

What exactly did you want to know?

Some are hot-tempered, some are easy-going.
Some can play the piano, some can't.
Some are left-handed, some are not.
Some hold their liquor, some become maudlin.

Except for the tail and the webbed toes, they are pretty much like normal people.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redhead

Redheads are even rarer than Blonds.

The pigment pheomelanin gives red hair its distinctive color. Red hair has far more pheomelanin than other hair colors, but far less of the dark pigment eumelanin.

Chromosomes 4 &16 alleles Arg151Cys, Arg160Trp, Asp294His, and Arg142His carry the red phenotype. Along with some hormone level genes that can effect body type and personality mostly in females.

Reds are only 1-2% in the general population but 2-6% in northern and western Europeans, and their descendants.

You can find information on www.redandproud.com. I think redhair is beautiful .Having sisters and nephew with that color.

Most common in Scotland, followed by Ireland. Possibly comes from the Picts.

Red and proud (mentioned by someone else) is a good link, as is the wikipedia one.

What kind of information are you looking for? You're on the genealogy page, so presumably you want to know about the history of redheads? They appear to have come from the area of the Russian Steppes as some mummified bodies from prehistorical times had red hair - which was quite a surprise as most people thought it was a more recent manifestation.