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Where Do Humans Get Their Red Hair From? Scientists Have Traced It to a 10-Million-Year-Old Frog Fossil

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Scientists at the University College Cork , Ireland , discovered the first molecular evidence of the pigment that caused ginger coloration, called phaeomelanin.

It was preserved in the fossils of 10-million-year-old frogs, which added to the reconstruction of the original colors of the extinct animal.

This pigment was toxic to animals so its presence in an ancient specimen was the first step to learning about its evolutionary history.