Scientists Have Discovered The First Gene Responsible For Grey Hair

Scientists Have Discovered The First Gene Responsible For Grey Hair

You can blame your parents for some of those grey hairs. A new study has identified the first gene known to be responsible for causing your hair to lose its colour.

Surprisingly, according to the researchers, this is the first time a gene has been found to be responsible for the greying of hair. While scientists have known how hair turns grey for a while — over time, humans produce less of a pigment called melanin which provides the colour — there’s been no evidence to explain why it happens.

Now, a study carried out by a team from University College London has analysed the genomes of more than 6000 people from an extremely mixed population — including African, European and Native American participants.

In turn, they have identified 18 different genes that seem to influence hair traits. It’s not just greying: The team has identified genes that influence features such as colour and shape, as well as the propensity for beardedness, balding and mono-brows. The research is published in Nature Communications.

Scientists Have Discovered The First Gene Responsible For Grey Hair
Gene associations with hair traits from the new study (Image by K. Adhikari et al)

Gene associations with hair traits from the new study (Image by K. Adhikari et al)

But the greying gene — known as IRF4 — is certainly the most interesting because it’s the first known link.

Sadly, the identification of the gene won’t mean that we can eradicate grey hair for good. The team notes that there are likely yet-to-be-discovered genetic contributions to greying, as well as environmental factors. But you can at least blame your parents for a few of them.

[Nature Communications via BBC and UCL]

Top image by brittanysoup


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