Friday, April 8, 2016

Gene Controlling Gray Hair

Gene controlling Gray Hair

Gray hair.  The infamous crown of wisdom.  Some wear it proudly while others want to hold on that “youth”.  But what if there was a way to actually shut off that gene that causes gray hair?  According to research done in University College of London, there is a specific gene that controls just that.  A gene called IRF4. 

DNA from 6,000 volunteers were collected in Latin America and analyzed.  From this research they have discovered a couple of things: if you have any roots in Europe, you are more prone of having gray hair as well as gene IRF4 helps regulate melanin in the body, which essentially determines hair color.  Since this discovery, researchers are hopeful that this “could lead to a treatment that could stop gray hair in its tracks’. 


Who would want that though? Sure that’s a pretty cool discovery, and more research would have to go into this but imagine if no one went gray.  I know when I become elderly, I would look absolutely ridiculous with super dark hair and an old wrinkly body.  Also, Since this gene controls melanin, imagine if something went wrong, there would way more sunburn people in the world!

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