Honiara & Guadalcanal Island

Islanders selling WWII artefacts they have scrounged from the Bloody Ridge battlefield, Bloody Ridge Memorial (rather the worse for wear), Guadalcanal Is, Solomon Islands. <br />
<br />
You'll notice that several of the children have very blond hair. This is not because they dye their hair or that they carry the genes of blond servicemen. The explanation is much more interesting.<br />
<br />
It's long been presumed the unusually fair-haired Melanesians were a result of long-ago liaisons with European traders, while locals often attributed their golden locks to a diet rich in fish or the constant exposure to the Sun.<br />
<br />
A new study genetic study of the islanders (DNA sampling of their saliva) says the reason why a substantial number of Solomon Islanders are blond is due to simple genetics - a gene called TYRP1 that is unique to the Solomons. The gene is found in 26 per cent of the people from the Solomons and other parts of Melanesia. A mutation in the gene affects melanin synthesis. The gene is not related to the gene for albinism, which results in light coloured hair, eyes and skin due to the complete absence of pigment in the skin.<br />
<br />
TYRP1 is a recessive gene, which means that both the mother and the father need to pass a copy on to the child for the child to have blonde hair. This results in around 10% of children in Melanesia having blond hair. The gene is rare or absent outside of Melanesia. This particular gene has a very strong effect on hair colour, and a much milder effect on eye colour and skin colour. Similar to blonde Europeans, as people grow older their hair gets darker. Clearly the families shown here carry a high percentage of the gene.<br />
<br />
Other photos of the children and the memorial can be seen here: <a href="http://goo.gl/HOyJ5z">http://goo.gl/HOyJ5z</a><br />
<br />
03/12/13 <a href="http://www.allenfotowild.com">http://www.allenfotowild.com</a>

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Islanders selling WWII artefacts they have scrounged from the Bloody Ridge battlefield, Bloody Ridge Memorial (rather the worse for wear), Guadalcanal Is, Solomon Islands.

You'll notice that several of the children have very blond hair. This is not because they dye their hair or that they carry the genes of blond servicemen. The explanation is much more interesting.

It's long been presumed the unusually fair-haired Melanesians were a result of long-ago liaisons with European traders, while locals often attributed their golden locks to a diet rich in fish or the constant exposure to the Sun.

A new study genetic study of the islanders (DNA sampling of their saliva) says the reason why a substantial number of Solomon Islanders are blond is due to simple genetics - a gene called TYRP1 that is unique to the Solomons. The gene is found in 26 per cent of the people from the Solomons and other parts of Melanesia. A mutation in the gene affects melanin synthesis. The gene is not related to the gene for albinism, which results in light coloured hair, eyes and skin due to the complete absence of pigment in the skin.

TYRP1 is a recessive gene, which means that both the mother and the father need to pass a copy on to the child for the child to have blonde hair. This results in around 10% of children in Melanesia having blond hair. The gene is rare or absent outside of Melanesia. This particular gene has a very strong effect on hair colour, and a much milder effect on eye colour and skin colour. Similar to blonde Europeans, as people grow older their hair gets darker. Clearly the families shown here carry a high percentage of the gene.

Other photos of the children and the memorial can be seen here: http://goo.gl/HOyJ5z

03/12/13 http://www.allenfotowild.com

Guadalcanal Blood Ridge Memorial Solomon Islands WWII artifacts