Tee Hee

RR ranks 4th for "redhead mutation" in Google. :)
In checking the other links for "redhead mutation" I found this, um, thing... I won't link to the site 'cause it has nekkid redheads. But she states:

"Red hair is not another shade of blonde/brown/black which most of the planet possesses. The gene for red hair is recessive. It is a lack of colouring in the hair which allows the red to be seen, like green leaves turning red in autumn as their chlorophyl dissipates. Like blue eyes, two parents must have the recessive gene for it to become dominant in their child. Even then there is only a fifty percent chance of having a redheaded baby.

All Redheads are distantly related to one small gene pool that arose in what is now Ireland. The aboriginal people of Ireland and Scotland were known as the Picts. Being a cloudy place, I'm sure natural selection encouraged the pale skin of redheads because of it's ability to absorb vitamin D from small amounts of sunlight.

A recent scientific paper popularized a new theory about the origins of the redhead gene, known as the ginger gene to scientists. The theory traces the gene's origin back to the Neanderthals. A constant source of teasing from my non-redheaded friends. "

My rant on this: Um, yeah. Red is not a non-color. Non-Color is what you get when a redhead gets older, and the non-color is white. I dunno about the recessive thing, either, although it makes sense. Red hair does not originate from a small gene pool on a cloudy island. Both of my grandparents on my mother's side were brunettes. Black hair, no red highlights, yet they managed to produce 3 red haired children. My bloodline includes (in order of strength) Welsh, Sicilian, Dutch, Irish and Native American. I could get my hair from any of those.
I don't believe serious scientist call the gene that produces melacortin 1 the "ginger gene". and finally, As of yet, science has not been able to prove that there was successful interbreeding between us and neanderthals. I like the idea, I think it would explain a few things, but science can't prove it yet.
*update* There are 8 separate mutations that are linked to red hair in the MCR1 gene. A person with 2 or more of these mutations may have some or all of the "classic" redhead looks. The mutations have been found in about 40% of humans across the board, with the exceptions of "Asians" -who have a slightly lower occurrance of those particular mutations in the MCR1 gene.