An article from the "Am. J. Hum. Genet." presents a study of the variable selection pressure acting on the melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) gene, which is crucial for human skin and hair pigmentation. Time to the newest common ancestor (TMRCA): Both African and non-African data suggest that the time to the most recent common ancestor is about 1 million years. Age of global variant 314: The age of variant 314 (a silent substitution at codon 314 that distinguishes the root of the human MC1R diversity from the consensus sequence) is estimated at 650,000 years. Eurasian variants (general, potentially associated with early flare): Val60Leu, Val92Met, Arg163Gln - Their age is estimated at 250,000-100,000 years. European variants for people with red hair and fair complexions (key European-specific variants): Arg151Cys and Arg160Trp: Their age is estimated at around 80,000 years, and Asp294His and Ser316Ser: Their age is estimated at around 30,000 years. Interestingly, the African variants are younger than the Eurasian variants: The ages of the African silent variants (Leu106Leu, Cys273Cys and Phe300Phe) are 110,000-40,000 years old