Mysterious origin of Solomon Islands’ dark-skinned blonds revealed

[Judi Lynn]

Mysterious origin of Solomon Islands’ dark-skinned blonds revealed
By Eric Pfeiffer | The Sideshow – 2 hrs 37 mins ago.

Researchers have discovered a single gene that caused inhabitants of the Solomon Islands to have the unique combination of very dark skin and very blond hair.

On Thursday, the journal Science reported that a single gene mutation is responsible for the unique pairing. Perhaps most interesting, the findings debunk theories that residents of the Solomon Islands got their blond hair from intermarrying with European explorers.

"The human characteristic of blond hair arose independently in equatorial Oceania," study researcher Eimear Kenny said in a statement. "That's quite unexpected and fascinating."

Kenny and fellow researcher Sean Myles gathered saliva samples from 43 blond-haired children and 42 dark-haired children on the island to compare their genes. Myles said the frequency of blond hair is comparable to the numbers found in Europe.

More:
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/mysterious-origin-solomon-islands-dark-skinned-blondes-revealed-175030129.html;_ylt=AkMJIKlqDF3N_SRfrp14I0Gs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTNtamxwcm1iBG1pdANUb3BTdG9yeSBGUARwa2cDMTQwN2JjNTEtMmVlNy0zODBkLTg3ZTctMzIwMDEwOTFmYzhkBHBvcwMxNARzZWMDdG9wX3N0b3J5BHZlcgM4NTBiZTVjMC05NjEzLTExZTEtODdjYi1jY2NjY2ZjNGNmOGU-;_ylg=X3oDMTFlamZvM2ZlBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdAMEcHQDc2VjdGlvbnM-;_ylv=3

[monmouth]

1. I swear I thought this was a satirical piece on the tan lady from NJ. Very interesting..n/t

[longship]

2. Genetics is an awesome science

If I were in high school again, I would aim for a career in genetic biology. Sadly, that opportunity passed 45 years ago. Physics has been good to me, but genetics is so cool right now.