Freckles are small brownish spots on human skin, generally mostly found on the face. Predisposition to freckles is genetic, though exposure to sunlight is a factor in how many appear. The gene for freckling is related to the presence of
red hair[?]. Based on recent genetic research, it has been suggested that this gene had
Neanderthalic origins. (The basis of the claim is the age of the gene; this is not in itself proof, since
Homo erectus pre-existed the Neanderthals.) It is found primarily among people of
Pictish descent, but is also present at varying numerically smaller levels among all north-western European populations.
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