I seem to be a blog topic behind again, but I've been a bit of a busy bee lately, so I do apologize for that. Anyways, here is my post for the topic of 'Teach us something'.
I thought for awhile about something I could share, but most of the things I could teach are either not that interesting, or not so easy to do through a written blog. And then it dawned on me, I'll teach you all about the awesomeness of redheads! Red hair is caused by a mutation of the gene MC1R which is found on the 16th chromosome and it is believed that it arose in humans 20,000-40,000 years ago. Only 1-2% of humans are redheads, which means only 2 in 100! Although it's commonly believed that redheads could become extinct in 100 years, there is a National Geographic article that states the gene itself will most likely not become extinct.
And now some fun facts!
- Ancient Greeks believed that redheads would become vampires after they died.
- Red hair doesn't tend to gray as much, it usually turns to blonde and then white.
- It is reported that Hitler banned marriages between redheads to prevent 'deviant offspring'.
- Although redheads tend to have thicker strands of hair, on average they have much fewer hairs on their heads than blondes and brunettes.
- Because redheads bodies change temperature faster than non redheads, they are more sensitive to hot and cold.
- Redheads may require 20% more anesthesia in surgery, although the reason is unknown, it's believed to be linked to the MC1R mutation.
- The Romans kept red haired slaves at a higher price, because they were thought to be strong and determined.
- And one of the coolest things, red heads can produce their own vitamin D! Due to low concentrations of eumelanin in the body, we produce our own vitamin D when in low light conditions.
So there you go, maybe some things you already knew, hopefully a few things you didn't. But all you really need to know about redheads is that we're fucking badass!!
And now, because I know you don't just come to this blog to learn awesome things about redheads, here are some truly wonderful images I shot recently with Jon Ruby. I seriously love his style, and he was a delight to work with.
Also! Please check out my super sexy fellow Georgia hopeful @pete_ in her awesome set Deadpool and show it some love. It is fucking perfect!!
Happy hunting cats and kittens, I leave you with this..
'While the rest of the species is descended from apes, redheads are descended from cats.'
Meow.
