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In a seemingly paradoxical study, US researchers found that redheads have a preternaturally high pain tolerance — wait for it — due to a mechanism that ups their susceptibility to sunburns. “These findings describe the mechanistic basis behind earlier evidence suggesting varied pain thresholds in different pigmentation backgrounds,” said Dr. David Fisher of the Massachusetts General Hospital in Massachusetts. He led the fiery study published in the journal Science Advances. The research found that the cells that determine skin color — called melanocytes — play a large role in deciding how people experience pain.

The team used CRISPR-Cas9 to ‘knock out’ the gene in a Doryteuthis pealeii and in turn eliminated coloring from the eyes and skin cells. The procedure involved clipping the egg’s tough outer layer with micro-scissors and delivering the reagents inside the embryo. Cephalopods, which includes squid, octopus and cuttlefish, have been a mystery to researchers, as their nervous systems are capable of camouflage – but the breakthrough should ‘address a host of biological questions.’ For the first time in history, scientists have genetically altered squid embryos by removing a pigmentation gene that resulted in transparent creatures. The team used CRISPR-Cas9...

Not so long ago, there was a fun party at Zoo Atlanta: their gorilla Anaka celebrated her 6th birthday. To commemorate the joyous occasion, the employees at the facility snapped a couple of pics of the big girl and shared them on Facebook. People started sending their best wishes. However, while congratulating Anaka, those who were more observant noticed an interesting detail

Fair skin and red hair first appeared around the time people settled in Europe and still remains a dominant gene in southern Europeans today, even if they become tanned. Known as V6OL allele, the gene made skin lighter as humans were getting less vitamin D from no longer being in the harsh African sun , the study reported. However it brought with it health risks as it is commonly associated with melanoma - a serious form of skin cancer. Researchers made the discovery while examining the evolutionary processes of particular genes of 1,000 people from Spain. Study author Dr Saioa...