While there, Myles was fascinated by the ubiquity of blond hair, which was especially common among children. "They have this very dark skin and bright blond hair. It was mind-blowing," said Myles.

When Sean Myles worked as post-doctoral student in Carlos Bustamante’s lab, he showed Bustamante a photo of a Melanesian child with cocoa-colored skin and bright blond hair, wearing a U.S ...