Evidence Of World’s First Gingers Found In 10 Million-Year-Old Fossils Of Frogs

There have been several historical figures with red hair, including Catherine of Aragon and Vincent Van Gough.

Credits: Daragh Mc Sweeney/Provision

While some have claimed that some Neanderthals possessed fair complexion and ginger hair, it has been discovered that some Egyptian pharaoh mummies who lived over 3,000 years ago also possessed reddish colors.

However, it is believed that the famed redhead gene actually predates humans by millions of years rather than by thousands of years.

In frog fossils dating back 10 million years, paleontologists at University College Cork in Ireland think they have discovered the first indication of phaeomelanin, the pigment responsible for red hair.

According to reports, the significant discovery will provide paleontologists with a better understanding of some color spectra of extinct species.

Credits: Daragh Mc Sweeney/Provision

The School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences (BEES) and Environmental Research Institute (ERI) at UCC's Dr. Tiffany Slater described their research as "exciting" in a statement: "This finding is so exciting because it puts paleontologists in a better place to detect different melanin pigments in many more fossils.”

"This will paint a more accurate picture of ancient animal color and will answer important questions about the evolution of colors in animals.”

Dr Slater continued: "Scientists still don’t know how – or why – phaeomelanin evolved because it is toxic to animals, but the fossil record might just unlock the mystery.”

Prof. Maria McNamara, the study's principal author, noted that although heat and pressure experienced during burial frequently affect fossils, this "doesn't mean that we lose all original biomolecular information."

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"Our fossilization experiments were the key to understanding the chemistry of the fossils, and proving that traces of biomolecules can survive being cooked during the fossilization process," she continued.

"There is huge potential to explore the biochemical evolution of animals using the fossil record when we account for chemical changes during fossilization.”

While orange frogs and red-haired Neanderthals may have once been common, ginger people now only account for 2% of the global population, making their hair color the rarest in the entire globe.

In Ireland, Scotland, and England, redheads predominate.

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The Independent reported in 2014 that the vivid hair color might become extinct due to climate change, putting the redheads' existence in jeopardy.

At the time, the managing director of Scotlands DNA, Dr. Alistair Moffat, stated: "We think red hair in Scotland, Ireland, and in the North of England is an adaption to the climate.”

"I think the reason for light skin and red hair is that we do not get enough sun and we have to get all the Vitamin D we can.”

"If the climate is changing and it is to become more cloudy or less cloudy then this will affect the gene."

He came to the conclusion that "fewer people carrying the gene" might be found in sunnier climates.

As we unlock the secrets of phaeomelanin and its presence in the fossil record, we gain valuable insights into the evolution of colors in the animal kingdom. Today, redheads may be a rarity, but they carry with them a rich and storied heritage that continues to captivate our imagination.