S5, Ep 14: Are Redheads With Blue Eyes The Rarest? Is Red Hair Going Extinct? With Guest, Dr. Mark Elgar

You might have been asked, "Aren't redheads going extinct?" It's a myth we're here to bust and our guest is Dr. Mark Elgar. We're calling him from Australia where he is a professor of Evolutionary Biology at the University of Melbourne. He earned his Ph.D. in Evolutionary Biology from the University of Cambridge in 1985 and is a member of the Australian Evolution Society. His research focuses on animal behavior and evolutionary biology, specializing in animal mating and social behavior.<br />As an evolutionary biologist, he is here to explain why redheads are NOT going extinct and why red hair + blue eyes is the rarest combo.<br />Note: This episode was taped in March when Stephanie was pregnant. You may hear Stephanie talk about being pregnant, and post-pregnancy throughout the different episodes due to pre-recording. Spoiler: Her baby was not born with red hair. <br />Here are some of the questions we ask him:<br />1.In layman's terms, what is an evolutionary biologist?<br />2.After reading the literature you have written about redheads, we thought this applied most to redheads, “Recessive genes can stay hidden for a long time.” So, let's address the myth of "redheads are going extinct." Are we a dying breed or not? Or, are redhead genes always going to be there?<br />3.There is a big debate in the redhead community. Some say it’s red hair and green eyes that are the rarest. Why are red hair and blue eyes the rarest combination?<br />4.Is red hair recessive in other mammals like cats and dogs or is it just humans?<br />5.How can we know what someone's hair color was thousands of years ago without having seen a photograph? Is that something you can figure out from digging up skeletons and testing them, or how does that work?<br />6.Our audience is obsessed with different shades of red hair. We usually say every shade is different, it’s almost like a unique fingerprint amongst redheads. You said in the article, “Redheads range from strawberry blonde, brownish auburn hair or flaming red tresses..” because the MCR1 gene is also a ‘quantitative trait’ which means that depending on which version of the mutation a person carries, there is variation in the appearance of those who carry the gene. Can you explain more?<br />7.Are two redheaded parents guaranteed to have a redheaded child?<br />Articles Mentioned:Are Redheads With Blue Eyes Really Going Extinct? (University of Melbourne, Article by Dr. Mark Elgar)<br />Redheads: Will You Go White or Gray?<br />Daily, we get an array of questions from social media comments, emails, and direct messages. We thought it would be fun to bring these to the How to be a Redhead podcast! We answer 2-4 questions per podcast. Do you want to send in your questions? Email H2BARPodcast@gmail.com, or DM us on Instagram @HowtobeaRedhead or TikTok @HowtobeaRedhead.<br />Want to help us spread the news about the How to be a Redhead brand and this podcast? Please give us a 5-star review and tell your friends (redheads and everyone else) to subscribe! You can listen to this podcast directly on Howt