FARK.com: (7086960) The mystery of dark-skinned pacific islanders with natural blond hair has been solved genetically, and no, it doesn't have anything to do with a shipful of Vikings getting very lost

If you can read this, either the style sheet didn't load or you have an older browser that doesn't support style sheets. Try clearing your browser cache and refreshing the page.

		The mystery of dark-skinned pacific islanders with natural blond hair has been solved genetically, and no, it doesn't have anything to do with a shipful of Vikings getting very lost (news.yahoo.com)		42
		More: Interesting, Stanford University School of Medicine, dark skin, Solomon Islands, zygosity, Doylestown, Pennsylvania, brain size, nucleic acid sequence, scientific article

• • •

6444 clicks; posted to Geek » on 04 May 2012 at 12:21 PM | Favorite | share:

Share this link:

URL:

http://fark.com/go/7086960

Bookmark:

Article Comments close

42 Comments (+0 »)

View Voting Results: Smartest and Funniest

Archived thread

Dead for Tax Reasons		2012-05-04 11:59:04 AM

damn, i had my money on a cargo cult surrounding a lost peroxide shipment

JohnBigBootay		2012-05-04 12:24:16 PM

My money is on, hopefully, a pic thread full of dark-skinned blonde hotties.

/fingers crossed

Make More Hinjews		2012-05-04 12:26:08 PM

JohnBigBootay: My money is on, hopefully, a pic thread full of dark-skinned blonde hotties.

/fingers crossed

www.ihiphop.com

You rang, big boy?

Make More Hinjews		2012-05-04 12:27:11 PM

... of course, ideally, I'd love to throw in some of my usual Indian hotties. But I don't think they come in blonde.

/ Totally okay with that. Enjoy, gentlemen!

AppleOptionEsc		2012-05-04 12:30:30 PM

Dead for Tax Reasons: damn, i had my money on a cargo cult surrounding a lost peroxide shipment

I had my money on a long lost tribe of very industrious Germans.

Abe Vigoda's Ghost		2012-05-04 12:32:00 PM

Cheese eating surrender monkey		2012-05-04 12:38:05 PM

Abe Vigoda's Ghost: [i.dailymail.co.uk image 634x348]
Damn, that section 31 virus hit the Founders real hard.

redflag		2012-05-04 12:38:28 PM

T.rex		2012-05-04 12:41:15 PM

Dark skin and blonde eyes? Thats a nice combination, if i may say.

Pavia_Resistance		2012-05-04 12:41:55 PM

Oblig

/hot

Arkanaut		2012-05-04 12:44:45 PM

Of course not. Vikings don't get lost.

physt		2012-05-04 12:45:10 PM

/Star Trek did it.

wambu		2012-05-04 12:45:52 PM

Abe Vigoda's Ghost: [i.dailymail.co.uk image 634x348]

Awaiting her Playboy photo spread.

/so I can rip my eyes out.

Kanemano		2012-05-04 12:47:24 PM

RoyBatty		2012-05-04 12:47:47 PM

It's interesting, weird(?) that it's the same gene.

Abe Vigoda's Ghost		2012-05-04 12:55:12 PM

wambu: Abe Vigoda's Ghost: [i.dailymail.co.uk image 634x348]

Awaiting her Playboy photo spread.

/so I can rip my eyes out.

i45.tinypic.com

I think I found it.

phyrkrakr		2012-05-04 12:57:43 PM

RoyBatty: It's interesting, weird(?) that it's the same gene.

I thought they said it wasn't the same gene. The European one does blond hair and blue eyes both, while this one just does blond hair.

Magnanimous_J		2012-05-04 12:59:15 PM

Hmmm. I'm having a hard time imagining what Pacific Islander women look like. Maybe someone could post a couple for academic reference.

Magorn		2012-05-04 12:59:16 PM

phyrkrakr: RoyBatty: It's interesting, weird(?) that it's the same gene.

I thought they said it wasn't the same gene. The European one does blond hair and blue eyes both, while this one just does blond hair.

I also find it very interesting that Blue eyes are such a recent addition to the human genome. I can only imagine how primtive humans felt the first time they saw someone with them.

RoyBatty		2012-05-04 01:04:33 PM

phyrkrakr: RoyBatty: It's interesting, weird(?) that it's the same gene.

I thought they said it wasn't the same gene. The European one does blond hair and blue eyes both, while this one just does blond hair.

Oh, I meant that it's the same gene here that codes for blond hair and dark skin.

If I understand this right, that is...

Residents of the Solomon Islands in the Pacific have some of the darkest skin seen outside of Africa. They also have the highest occurrence of blond hair seen in any population outside of Europe. Now, researchers have found the single gene that explains these fair tresses....

A gene called TYRP1, which resides on the ninth chromosome of human's 23 pairs of chromosomes, explained 46.4 percent of the variation in the islanders' hair color. (Chromosomes are coiled packets of DNA.) A mutation in this gene affects an enzyme known to be involved in human pigmentation, the researchers found.

So it's a pigmentation gene, but in the hair it results in blond coloring, in the skin in dark coloring. Just seems sort of curious.

Phineas J Whoopee		2012-05-04 01:11:14 PM

Cheese eating surrender monkey: Abe Vigoda's Ghost: [i.dailymail.co.uk image 634x348]
Damn, that section 31 virus hit the Founders real hard.

Ok, that was awesome.

Arkanaut		2012-05-04 01:14:21 PM

RoyBatty: phyrkrakr: RoyBatty: It's interesting, weird(?) that it's the same gene.

I thought they said it wasn't the same gene. The European one does blond hair and blue eyes both, while this one just does blond hair.

Oh, I meant that it's the same gene here that codes for blond hair and dark skin.

If I understand this right, that is...

Residents of the Solomon Islands in the Pacific have some of the darkest skin seen outside of Africa. They also have the highest occurrence of blond hair seen in any population outside of Europe. Now, researchers have found the single gene that explains these fair tresses....

A gene called TYRP1, which resides on the ninth chromosome of human's 23 pairs of chromosomes, explained 46.4 percent of the variation in the islanders' hair color. (Chromosomes are coiled packets of DNA.) A mutation in this gene affects an enzyme known to be involved in human pigmentation, the researchers found.

So it's a pigmentation gene, but in the hair it results in blond coloring, in the skin in dark coloring. Just seems sort of curious.

I guess it affects the synthesis of melanin?

buckler		2012-05-04 01:15:03 PM

physt: [www.startrek.com image 320x240]
/Star Trek did it.

Damn you.

Make More Hinjews		2012-05-04 01:16:57 PM

Pavia_Resistance: [2.bp.blogspot.com image 440x385]

Oblig

/hot

Well, in the interest of strict accuracy (sort of)...

i.qkme.me

JohnBigBootay		2012-05-04 01:19:43 PM

Magorn: I can only imagine how primtive humans felt ~~the first time they saw someone with them.~~ after they killed the first one they saw with them for being a witch

fixed

under a mountain		2012-05-04 01:22:19 PM

Fano		2012-05-04 01:23:44 PM

Magnanimous_J: Hmmm. I'm having a hard time imagining what Pacific Islander women look like. Maybe someone could post a couple for academic reference.

Rent Rapa Nui for fun

Maul555		2012-05-04 01:40:08 PM

/we must produce MORE!!!

TyrantII		2012-05-04 01:45:07 PM

Magorn: phyrkrakr: RoyBatty: It's interesting, weird(?) that it's the same gene.

I thought they said it wasn't the same gene. The European one does blond hair and blue eyes both, while this one just does blond hair.

I also find it very interesting that Blue eyes are such a recent addition to the human genome. I can only imagine how primtive humans felt the first time they saw someone with them.

Probably the same way I do: Lets get to making babies!

/sucks you both need to posses gene
//Italian/greek, so chances of blue eyes kids very low

nmiguy		2012-05-04 02:08:39 PM

dedmete		2012-05-04 02:12:32 PM

That makes the gene different from the one responsible for blue eyes, which arose from a single common ancestor between 6,000 and 10,000 years ago. Before then, there were no blue eyes, they said

Well duh... because nothing existed before then.

greentea1985		2012-05-04 02:23:55 PM

redflag:

Asterix and Obelix? There's a video game about them

wambu		2012-05-04 02:28:16 PM

Abe Vigoda's Ghost: wambu: Abe Vigoda's Ghost: [i.dailymail.co.uk image 634x348]

Awaiting her Playboy photo spread.

/so I can rip my eyes out.

[i45.tinypic.com image 634x464]

I think I found it.

She won't be in Hustler, because she can't show pink.

BigLuca		2012-05-04 02:55:00 PM

Just like this
2.bp.blogspot.com

but in reverse

wellreadneck		2012-05-04 03:13:42 PM

Arkanaut: RoyBatty: phyrkrakr: RoyBatty: It's interesting, weird(?) that it's the same gene.

I thought they said it wasn't the same gene. The European one does blond hair and blue eyes both, while this one just does blond hair.

Oh, I meant that it's the same gene here that codes for blond hair and dark skin.

If I understand this right, that is...

Residents of the Solomon Islands in the Pacific have some of the darkest skin seen outside of Africa. They also have the highest occurrence of blond hair seen in any population outside of Europe. Now, researchers have found the single gene that explains these fair tresses....

A gene called TYRP1, which resides on the ninth chromosome of human's 23 pairs of chromosomes, explained 46.4 percent of the variation in the islanders' hair color. (Chromosomes are coiled packets of DNA.) A mutation in this gene affects an enzyme known to be involved in human pigmentation, the researchers found.

So it's a pigmentation gene, but in the hair it results in blond coloring, in the skin in dark coloring. Just seems sort of curious.

I guess it affects the synthesis of melanin?

Does the article say that european genes are responsible for the other 53.6 percent of the variation in the islanders' hair color and I just missed it?

Arkanaut		2012-05-04 03:30:46 PM

wellreadneck: Arkanaut: RoyBatty: phyrkrakr: RoyBatty: It's interesting, weird(?) that it's the same gene.

I thought they said it wasn't the same gene. The European one does blond hair and blue eyes both, while this one just does blond hair.

Oh, I meant that it's the same gene here that codes for blond hair and dark skin.

If I understand this right, that is...

Residents of the Solomon Islands in the Pacific have some of the darkest skin seen outside of Africa. They also have the highest occurrence of blond hair seen in any population outside of Europe. Now, researchers have found the single gene that explains these fair tresses....

A gene called TYRP1, which resides on the ninth chromosome of human's 23 pairs of chromosomes, explained 46.4 percent of the variation in the islanders' hair color. (Chromosomes are coiled packets of DNA.) A mutation in this gene affects an enzyme known to be involved in human pigmentation, the researchers found.

So it's a pigmentation gene, but in the hair it results in blond coloring, in the skin in dark coloring. Just seems sort of curious.

I guess it affects the synthesis of melanin?

Does the article say that european genes are responsible for the other 53.6 percent of the variation in the islanders' hair color and I just missed it?

No, the other 53.6% is aliens.

/hat tip to Make More Hinjews

onzmadi		2012-05-04 05:20:40 PM

That makes the gene different from the one responsible for blue eyes, which arose from a single common ancestor between 6,000 and 10,000 years ago. Before then, there were no blue eyes, they said.

Grandma?

Saul Goodman		2012-05-04 06:11:15 PM

mutation?

worst mutant power ever.

Maggie_Luna		2012-05-04 11:02:52 PM

onzmadi: That makes the gene different from the one responsible for blue eyes, which arose from a single common ancestor between 6,000 and 10,000 years ago. Before then, there were no blue eyes, they said.

Grandma?

My guess is some dude was born with blue eyes. People farked him a lot. Gene spreads easier with males. So dude, possible ugly as sin but pretty eyes, boinks a good deal of Europe then dies. Voila blue eyes in Europe! Then those descendants fark a bit less in Asia and done with the spread.

Straelbora		2012-05-05 12:41:57 AM

Magorn: phyrkrakr: RoyBatty: It's interesting, weird(?) that it's the same gene.

I thought they said it wasn't the same gene. The European one does blond hair and blue eyes both, while this one just does blond hair.

I also find it very interesting that Blue eyes are such a recent addition to the human genome. I can only imagine how primtive humans felt the first time they saw someone with them.

I think it was in ibn Fadlan (the historical source from which Michael Crichton stole the Antonio Banderas character in "The 13th Warrior") where he describes blue eyes and is all kind of freaked out by them.

Need_MindBleach		2012-05-05 02:37:18 PM

RoyBatty		2012-05-07 12:04:02 AM

Need_MindBleach: No, the islanders are normally dark skinned and dark haired, the mutation changes the pigment of the hair to blonde, but only effects the hair. Skin, eye, and hair pigmentation are controlled by many genes, it's just that this one single gene causes light hair. The blonde islanders have their normal dark skin coloring.

Rereading the article, I see you're right -- for whatever reason when I read it, I thought the were saying this gene was responsible for the skin coloring as well.

Thank you.

Displayed 42 of 42 comments

View Voting Results: Smartest and Funniest

Redisplay/refresh comments

This thread is closed to new comments.