The Solomon Islands is the only place on Earth with dark-skinned people who have naturally blond hair.
Why? A unique gene found nowhere else on the planet.
In the remote Solomon Islands of Melanesia, about 10% of the dark-skinned population naturally has bright blond hair. It’s an unusual trait that puzzled researchers for years.
Unlike the common assumption that blond hair comes from European ancestry, a 2012 genetic study revealed that this golden hair evolved independently in the region due to a unique mutation.
Scientists found that a single-letter change in the DNA of Melanesians (replacing “C” with “T”) affects melanin production, leading to blond hair.
This genetic variation is entirely distinct from the genes responsible for blond hair in Europeans, making it a fascinating case of convergent evolution — where similar traits arise in different populations through separate genetic pathways.