Page 447 - Melanesia
P. 447

SOLOMON ISLANDS BLOND HAIR

T he common occurrence of blond hair          of the mapping of a simple genetic trait in     and shows the importance of including
     among the dark-skinned indigenous        humans,” said David Reich, PhD, a professor     understudied populations in gene map-
people of the Solomon Islands is due to a     of genetics at Harvard University, who was      ping studies, said co-senior author Carlos D.
homegrown genetic variant distinct from       not involved in the study. The study identify-  Bustamante, PhD, professor of genetics at
the gene that leads to blond hair in Europe-  ing the gene responsible for blond hair in      Stanford. The findings were published May
ans, according to a new study from the Stan-  the Solomon Islands, a nation in the South      4, 2012 in Science.
ford University School of Medicine. “This is  Pacific, represents a rare case of simple
one of the most beautiful examples to date    genetics determining human appearance,
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