Genetic POD: More hair colors?

AsGryffynn

Banned
So, in a vein similar to that of a previous thread I made, how likely, if possible, would it be for naturally occurring variations of hair colors occurring? Like, bluish or pinkish hair?
 
I'd say your best bet, even as unlikely as THAT is, is to look at the different hair colors of other primates. That should give you the spectrum of what is genetically possible for humans.
 
Hair colour in mammals is always a result of various forms of melanin

Eumelanin, pheomelanin, etc.

That pigment just doesn't have a whole lot of range of expression, so your options are limited.

Having other pigments show up in humans would be very difficult to arrange, barring genetic engineering.

Birds have carotenoids (which, however, are acquired from their diet) and Porphyrins. But getting those into humans would surely involve genetic engineering.

Note that even birds don't produce blue pigments - the blue of blue jays and the green of parrots are actually due to interference patterns produced by the structure of the feathers.

Note that hair doesn't have that kind of solidity or structure.

So.... Bottom line. Natural hair colour is probably limited to a range not much greater than currently exists.
 
We could have extended the natural variation range into strong greys and whites like other mammals (and if this occurs in young humans we would dissociate the colours from always being about old age).

Brindle, blue and calico patterns usually come about via chimerism and while humans are often somewhat chimeric, it doesn't seem to express itself the way it does in cats/dogs/horses.

Anything you can't find in another mammal probably won't evolve in a human either.
 
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