Located in the north of Australia, Melanesia is inhabited by a people with traits that attract curiosities. These blond-haired blacks, called Melanesians, have incredible genetics.
Already among whites, blondness is rare, as it exists only in 5% of people, most often of European descent. The researchers discovered that it was necessary to be born of two blond parents to be blond because it is a so-called recessive gene.
At first, some scientists attributed this blondness to sea baths and sun exposure but also to a diet rich in fish. In addition, other researchers supported the theory of the descendants of explorers from Europe.
It is thanks to a geneticist named Sean Myles that these hypotheses will be refuted. He took saliva and hair samples from 1209 Melanesians, both blond and brown, to discover a mutant gene called TYRP1.
After analysis, he discovered that this blond gene is different from that of Europeans. To date, between 5 and 10% of Melanesians are blond. This particular color of hair gives them a unique identity throughout the world.
