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on Bodinsu hair colors
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and their cultural significance
This public article was written by [Deactivated User], and last updated on 3 Aug 2021, 02:04.

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Unlike modern humans, Bodinsu have only a handful of genes controlling 95% of hair coloration, all of which follow simple Mendelian genetics and have easily visible effects. This system was, largely, borrowed by me from cat fur color genetics, with some minor changes.

Main color gene
"Matte" black (khecrin) is dominant and found in most of the population.
Dark brown (ransun) is recessive to black (but dominant to russet); fairly common in Moshrr and the rest of southern Zuda, rare elsewhere.
Russet (tucan) is recessive; seen mostly among Carebin nobility (due to inbreeding) and sometimes their bastards; unknown outside the continent of Reidu.

Agouti gene
"Striped" (mornan) - hairs with colored/uncolored bands along their length, mixed in with solid-colored hairs - is dominant and common. (For the visual effect, think of the fur of a wolf or squirrel.)
Solid colored hair is recessive and also common.

Redhead gene
This gene is sex-linked. That is, Bodinsu with one X chromosome can only be redheaded or non-redheaded, but Bodinsu with two X chromosomes can be redheaded, non-redheaded, or with brindled hair similar to a tortoiseshell cat. Unlike the modern human redhead mutation, it is not linked with freckling or lightened skin color. All redheads have agouti banding, regardless of their agouti genotype.
Red/ginger (narshin) is semi-common. It masks the effect of all other hair color genes except tipping and albinism.
Brindled/tortie (bitnashin) is semi-common among people with 2 X chromosomes. Due to X-inactivation, the person has areas of their scalp that grow red hair and areas that grow black, brown, or banded hair.
Non-red is the most common, allowing the other genes' effect to show.

Tipping gene
Tipped (labrin "silver" on agouti, rishkhen "smoky" on black, dirnun "clouded" on other colors) is a dominant, semi-common mutation. Around puberty, the hair of people with this mutation begins to grow in white at the roots. New hairs will grow colored for the first couple inches then continue to grow in white. When it occurs with agouti banding, the light bands on each hair are also lightened to white. Most Bodin cultures prefer long hair, so the visual effect of this gene is of mostly white hair "tipped" with a few inches' worth of color at the ends.

Golden gene
Golden is a semi-rare dominant mutation that makes agouti hair colors lighter and more yellowish, and has no effect on solid colors. It is called saloshin "golden" on agouti black or brown, and carushin "strawberry blond, coral" on red.

Albinism
Albinism in Bodinsu is rare, just as in modern humans. People with albinism, along with lightened skin and eye color, may have pale blond (sorrin "light yellow") or white (bacrin) hair.

Before the recent development of genetic testing, nobility's hair colors were tracked through generations and used to identify the father of children in polygamous noble marriages - and could be used as proof of identity of bastards hoping to claim child support from their noble fathers.
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