There Are More Redheads Than Ever Thanks to an Unexpected Evolutionary Twist
By Ashley Fike
Published on April 25, 2026.
A new study by Harvard has found that natural selection has been pushing red hair genes forward for thousands of years. The research, led by geneticist David Reich, involved seven years of assembling DNA sequences from ancient people across Europe and parts of the Middle East. The study revealed that directional selection, which tends to favor one trait over others, was found to be a significant occurrence. Other traits also increased over time, including red hair, lighter skin tones, resistance to leprosy and HIV, and decreased rates of male-pattern baldness. The team plans to expand their research to East Asia and East Africa to find additional genetic variations that could potentially help with disease prevention.
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