Red All Over

Here's an Intelligent Design riddle: There are redhaired people all over the world—in sunny climes and grey, in the South Sea Islands, in the furthest reaches of Asia. There are redheaded Jews, redheaded Arabs, redheaded Italians. Wherever you go in this wide world, sooner or later you'll find a redhead.

So why would the Designer place all these unfortunate people in areas where they're targets for skin cancer—even if they can avoid getting a sunburn? A new study explains why people with red hair are at a much greater melanoma risk. It's all about the melasomes, don'tcha know. Considering the increased risks, the recent news that redheads are also more resistant to pain than the rest of us is particularly welcome.

Get all your redhead gear at Realm Of Redheads here.

Fiery redheads heat things up in the Bullzeye gallery of hot redheads here.

Professor Leonard Jeffries' Ice People/Sun People thesis explained here.

Mary Schmich's "Wear Sunscreen" essay, source of the legendary Kurt Vonnegut hoax and Baz Luhrman's hit song.

Buffalo quartet Redheaded Stepchild plays bluegrass and roots music.