Question

Only 1% of the world's population has red hair. It is caused by a recessive variation in the MCR1 gene that codes for hair color. In 1–2 sentences, explain how this variation could have formed in ancestral DNA, and how it has led to red hair through viable errors

Answer 1

The recessive variation in the MCR1 gene likely formed due to random mutations in ancestral DNA, where changes in the gene disrupted the normal production of eumelanin (dark pigment) while enhancing pheomelanin (light pigment), leading to red hair. Over generations, this genetic variation could have persisted and spread through populations due to genetic drift, reduced UV exposure in northern latitudes, or social factors that favored red-haired individuals, ultimately resulting in the distinct phenotype.