Science & Technology at Scientific American.com: Sunless Suntan Proves Possible Ho boy!
Sun seekers and tanning-bed junkies take note: Researchers have induced honest-to-goodness suntans in mice without exposing them to ultraviolet (UV) rays. Instead, they rubbed a lotion into the critters’ skin that activated their tanning machinery, which then protected the mice from UV’s cancer-causing effects. The animals carried a mutation making them fair skinned and unable to tan otherwise, like human redheads, suggesting that a similar tanning trick might help even the pastiest of us bask in the sun without worry.
True redheads are famous for having fair skin that tends to burn, not tan.
Two things to note. It seems to me that redheads are being called “mutants.” Also, I’m not so sure I want to see a bunch of dark-skinned redheads. That just seems wrong…and kind of creepy.
I guess if we looked deeply enough we all carry mutant genes. It’s just most don’t have such a visible expression as red hair.
The fun about redheads it discovering if they are ‘true’ redheads.
Now, on a serious note, I remember watching a show on TV about mutations caused by the Atomic bombs dropped on Japan during WWII. The study was commisioned by the Japanese government, and after years of studying the survivors and their descendants only seven people were found to have some kind of mutation.
I guess we will never see Godzilla fight Mothra.
Well, white people are mutants. In order to survive in the north where there just isn’t enough sun in the winter, our skin is paler, more transparent to light, allowing more UV through it with which to make necessary vitamin D. The tradeoff is having less melanin, which makes us more prone to infection and burning. It would be better to get vitamin D from non-UV sources (drink milk, for instance, where it has been added) and have a darker skin. Melanin also helps protect against all sorts of parasites.
In short, it’s better to be dark-skinned in the first place, whether or not you like to tan.
It’s so much more fun having your skin sizzle on the hot sandy beach!
Is this what they mean by “the browning of America?”
It is another indication that brown, not white, is the most attractive color, despite what the white supremacists believe.
My sister-in-law could never tan. The only thing would happen is a burn and much larger and darker freckles. Before she was 50 she already had 3 melanomas removed, one from her eye lid which required plastic surgery. It’s not only appearance, but it could help protect these people from skin cancers.
Redheads have a disease called Gingervitis…
I’m a sunworshipper when the temperature is around 50-65 degrees farenheit. I don’t know how they do it: laying on a hot summer’s day roasting on a beach.
Dark skinned redheads have been around for millenia. You will find them in places like Kashmir, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
… and dark skinned redheads are the day-walkers.
Besides 0113addiv, who in hell would sign up to rub lotion on a rat?
Besides 0113addiv, who in hell would sign up to rub lotion on a rat?
Comment by James Hill — 9/21/2006 @ 9:10 am
On a rat…no…on a pig…well, thats just a fun Saturday night.
“Your snout sure does look pretty.”
Mmmm… Redheads… I wouldn’t mind rubbing them… Er… I mean lubing… *cough* *cough* *cough* You guys know what I’m just talking about tanning lotion 😉
I almost forgot, tanned redheads would look like Ganondorf from the Legend of Zelda series 🙂
#9 wrote “Dark skinned redheads have been around for millenia. You will find them in places like Kashmir, Afghanistan and Pakistan.” You will also commonly find dark skinned red headed people around New Guinnea and other parts of the Melanesia archipeligo. Mummified remains of a 5,000 year old pre-dynastic Egyptian in the British Museum in London looks like an Dublin taxi driver, complete with red locks and a tattoo. So either red heads are ancient genetic precursors to many of today’s civilisations, or we’re randy devils.
There are also redhaired Mexicans in Northern Mexico……brown skin and red hair….looks odd.
Word – Redheaded SPINACH, the new tan