The ginger gene is good for humanity, according to science - Here's why

The gene for ginger hair has been actively selected again and again over the last 10,000 years, as found by a new study investigating DNA in western Eurasia.

The study aimed to discover the effects of rising agriculture and pasteurisation on human evolution and concluded that “there have been many hundreds of instances of directional selection”, including the tendency for red hair.

Previous research suggests that the reason for red hair and pale skin being part of the genome is linked to surviving in a temperate climate. Essentially, the presence of these genes allow for higher vitamin D retention, something that’s hard to come by in cloudy parts of the world. Similarly, the new study identifies how a favour for fair skin was “one of the strongest signals of increase over time” as it allows for heightened synthesis of vitamin D, especially in areas of low sunlight where people have little of the nutrient in their regular diet.

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Over 15,000 examples of ancient DNA and 6,000 from living individuals were used in this study, something unseen before as a similar work from 2024 only used around 1,600 historical samples. The new study identifies the challenges with previous methods and opens the door for new discovery through extensive processes. Ultimately, they found that “Darwinian forces couple with allelic effects” to present the genetic makeup of physical traits.

While the study didn’t seek to answer why certain genes were favoured, it did also suggest decreases in male pattern baldness, type two diabetes and risk of HIV.

The scientists also found a link with increased susceptibility to coeliac disease due to the changed lifestyle of humans over the last few centuries. The mutation, which first appeared 4,000 years ago, suggests those with the gene are likely to survive and pass it on to their offspring, despite its negative effects.

An author of the research paper from Harvard University, Ali Akbari, bookended the study in a statement by explaining that “human evolution didn’t slow down; we were just missing the signal”.

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