Redheads Aren't Going Extinct, Genes Keep the Flame Alive

Live Science debunks the extinction myth: red hair stems from a recessive MC1R variant that can persist in the population through carriers who don’t display red hair themselves. While redheads are a small minority (under 2% globally) and have higher melanoma risk, there’s no evidence the trait is disappearing; frequency may fluctuate with migration, but as long as MC1R variants exist in the gene pool, redheads aren’t going extinct.