Red hair is the sign of the Aryan race?

[JQP4545]

Is a coincidence that the region of the Russian steppe where the Proto-Indo-Europeans originated has a high incidence of red hair (Udmurts)? The regions of Europe that carry the highest levels of steppe ancestry and have the highest Gedrosia component also have the highest levels of red hair (Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales). The Tarim mummies found in China carried a level of Andronovo-like DNA and also were found to have red hair. The Thracians were depicted as having red hair as were a disproportionate amount of Roman Emperors.

[Melkiirs]

Is a coincidence that the region of the Russian steppe where the Proto-Indo-Europeans originated has a high incidence of red hair (Udmurts)? The regions of Europe that carry the highest levels of steppe ancestry and have the highest Gedrosia component also have the highest levels of red hair (Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales). The Tarim mummies found in China carried a level of Andronovo-like DNA and also were found to have red hair. The Thracians were depicted as having red hair as were a disproportionate amount of Roman Emperors.

The relatively rare R160H variant was found slightly more penetrant in the UK Biobank sample than R160W common in Northern Europeans but the frequency in the Middle Eastern aggregate on gnomAD v4.0 is higher than the European aggregate. Its distribution in Europe correlates roughly with ANF admixture, although variation is relatively limited compared to the more common variants. While it occurred among the Bell Beakers the R151C and R160W variants coming from their Steppe ancestry were clearly more common. If these latter variants were not already fairly common among Steppe populations going back Yamnaya and Afanasievo R160H might have eventually became notably more frequent in Northern Europe. I wonder if it was elevated at all among the pre Bell Beaker Neolithic British Isles population. Multiple red-haired individuals were documented in Neolithic France.

The difference in the distribution of R151C and R160W is likely more recent and came about since the Bronze Age after the Bell Beakers repopulated the British Isles. The marked elevation of the more penetrant R151C among Iron Age British and their closest descendants could have been associated with climate related selective factors. Among typical Scandinavians also with high steppe admixture the less penetrant variant R160W is clearly more frequent.

[JQP4545]

According to the Dodecad K12b spreadsheet, the countries in Europe with the highest Gedrosian component are:

Argyll: 13.1%
Orcadian: 12%
Irish: 11.9%
Orkney: 11.8%
Cornwall: 11.4%
British: 11.3%
Mixed_Germanic: 10.7%
CEU: 10.6%
English: 10.6%
Kent: 10.5%
Dutch: 9.9%

[Melkiirs]

According to the Dodecad K12b spreadsheet, the countries in Europe with the highest Gedrosian component are:

Argyll: 13.1%
Orcadian: 12%
Irish: 11.9%
Orkney: 11.8%
Cornwall: 11.4%
British: 11.3%
Mixed_Germanic: 10.7%
CEU: 10.6%
English: 10.6%
Kent: 10.5%
Dutch: 9.9%

Dodecad K12b is somewhat obsolete at this point. We know from G25 and studies like Haak et al that the steppe admixture in the British Isles is not clearly higher than Scandinavians so the distribution of Gedrosian admixture from Dodecad K12b is not very representative of that of the actual steppe component in Europeans. It thus seems more likely that the higher frequency of distinctive red hair in the British Isles compared to continental Northwest Europeans is not related to a difference in Steppe admixture, but local selective factors. As I mention above the difference would have likely come about only after the Bell Beaker replacement in Britain.

[JQP4545]

Dodecad K12b is somewhat obsolete at this point. We know from G25 and studies like Haak et al that the steppe admixture in the British Isles is not clearly higher than Scandinavians so the distribution of Gedrosian admixture from Dodecad K12b is not very representative of that of the actual steppe component in Europeans. It thus seems more likely that the higher frequency of distinctive red hair in the British Isles compared to continental Northwest Europeans is not related to a difference in Steppe admixture, but local selective factors. As I mention above the difference would have likely come about only after the Bell Beaker replacement in Britain.

The differences in frequencies of red hair between the British Isles and Scandinavia/Continential Europe may not be the result of different levels of Yamnaya DNA, but the gene for red hair may have been brought to Europe via Yamnaya.

[Melkiirs]

The differences in frequencies of red hair between the British Isles and Scandinavia/Continential Europe may not be the result of different levels of Yamnaya DNA, but the gene for red hair may have been brought to Europe via Yamnaya.

The situation is not so simple. There were already carriers of R variants in Europe prior to the Bronze Age and they were not always rare. Steppe migration may have had a significant genetic impact but the trait has been in Europe since the Neolithic or even before (SHGs in Motala Sweden carried both R151C and R160W).

This study of the Neolithic Gurgy 'les Noisats site in North-Central France found 4 individuals predicted to be red-haired out of 94 autosomally sequenced:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s415...06350-8#MOESM4

The specific variants carried were not revealed but R160H was more common than R160W or R151C in Neolithic Europe.

Here is the supplemental table showing pigmentation predictions:

[JQP4545]

I still think it is more likely that the Indo-Europeans brought genes for red hair to Europe at least in much higher frequency.

[Nordik]

It is claimed in the Irish history written by Christian monks about 800 CE that gaelic red headed people are descendants of an Egyptian princess named Scota. IIRC Her dad is Amenophis IV, which is Akenaten.

She has a Wikipedia page https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scota

[Melkiirs]

I still think it is more likely that the Indo-Europeans brought genes for red hair to Europe at least in much higher frequency.

It was generally more common in the Steppe-related groups than Neolithic Europeans, but the frequency of variants was still low compared to many modern Northern Europeans. Their large genetic impact in Europe may have influenced which variants are more common and raised the frequency somewhat but they became more common mainly after migration into Europe and not in the original Steppe region.

This is from Samuel Andrews (https://www.theapricity.com/forum/me...-Fire-Haired):

“ The red hair variant R160W, seen in Swat Valley sample S8195.E1.L1, is another direct link between ancient South Asia and Europe. Just like I3910-T, R160W has been shown to have been present in Europe at least 2,000 years before the Andronovo Culture. Balkans_ChL I2423, a sample from what is now Bulgaria, carries R160W. This individual dates to 4400 BC, so he's of a similar age to Ukraine_Eneolithic I6561, the above mentioned early I3910-T carrier from the North Pontic steppe.

Other than that, as things stand, R160W is absent from pre-Kurgan Europe. In the aftermath of the Steppe migrations, around 2400-1800 BC, R160W pops up in many places in Europe just like I3910-T does. Four Andronovo/Sintashta samples out of about 100 carry R160W. Thus, a few, perhaps 1%, of the Andronovo and Sintashta people almost certainly had red hair.”

https://eurogenes.blogspot.com/2018/...netic.html?m=1

~4% carrier rate (twice allele frequency) for R160W found among Andronovo & Sintashta who lead to Indo-Iranians is no higher than modern Southern Europeans if not less.

[Creoda]

Is a coincidence that the region of the Russian steppe where the Proto-Indo-Europeans originated has a high incidence of red hair (Udmurts)? The regions of Europe that carry the highest levels of steppe ancestry and have the highest Gedrosia component also have the highest levels of red hair (Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales). The Tarim mummies found in China carried a level of Andronovo-like DNA and also were found to have red hair. The Thracians were depicted as having red hair as were a disproportionate amount of Roman Emperors.

We don't need to look for physical markers anymore now that we have the genetic evidence of Proto Indo-European ancestry.

Light features including red hair are generally correlated with populations high in Steppe ancestry. Some people think that's a coincidence, but I don't.