Scientists Solve Small Part Of Genetic Mystery Behind Blonde Hair

From a first pass, hair color is a pretty simple trait. Basically, the more pigment you have in your hair follicle, the darker it is. Given how simple hair color is, it is surprising how complicated its genetics are. It turns out no one gene plays a dominant role in determining how much pigment you make.
Scientists at Stanford has figured out how a certain version of one small bit of DNA that goes by the name of rs12821526 makes it more likely for some Europeans to have blonde hair. Basically the 'blonde' version of this DNA can't bend as easily. The end result is that hair follicle cells can't read the kit ligand gene as well which means less pigment gets made.