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khelavastr • today at 12:31 PM • 1 reply • view on HN

I was just thinking how behavioral differences of red haired foxes, cats, and humans from their closest relatives are explained by the same sort of proopiomelanocortin and other substantia nigra differences from weak MC1R activity.


Replies

reilly3000 • today at 1:25 PM

As someone who lives with 4 cats, one of which who is orange and conforming with all stereotypes, I implore you to further that line of inquiry. While the OP paper doesn’t claim behavioral differences are supported, it doesn’t falsify them and there could be a dynamic there. If you could genetically encode shamelessness it might encapsulate the behavior. It’s not a lack of intelligence per se, more of a lack of inhibition.

This paper demonstrates a connection with behavior. I personally suspect gingers have smaller amygdala.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/381166835_The_Skin-...