"Some Neanderthals were probably redheads, a DNA study has shown."

I love little gems such as the one in the BBC article published earlier today on Neanderthal genetics. According to the study it quotes Neanderthals were red heads or "flame-haired" ....

Here is a snippet from the article:

Writing in Science journal, a team of researchers extracted DNA from remains of two Neanderthals and retrieved part of an important gene called MC1R.

In modern people, a change - or mutation - in this gene causes red hair, but, until now, no one knew what hair colour our extinct relatives had.

By analysing a version of the gene in Neanderthals, scientists found that they also have sported fiery locks.

"We found a variant of MC1R in Neanderthals which is not present in modern humans, but which causes an effect on the hair similar to that seen in modern redheads," said lead author Carles Lalueza-Fox, assistant professor in genetics at the University of Barcelona.

Though once thought to have been our ancestors, the Neanderthals are now considered by many to be an evolutionary dead end.

Full BBC Article Here

Personally I believe there is much more that can be learned through Neanderthal genetics, and hope that this study continues ....