Redheads really do suffer more than blondes and brunettes. It takes a fifth more anaesthetic to stop them feeling pain, Edwin Liem of the Outcomes Research Institute in Louisville, Kentucky, found when he looked at how much desflurane it took to stop blonde, brunette and redheaded women responding to “painful stimuli”. Liem says there is an explanation. Skin and hair cells have surface receptors that regulate pigmentation. These molecules are less sensitive in redheads, so they produce more of the hormone that activates the receptor. But the same hormone also activates a brain receptor that increases sensitivity to pain.…
To continue reading, today with our introductory offers
Advertisement
More from èƵ
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Popular articles
Trending èƵ articles
1
Pancreatic cancer halted by virus injection in three patients
2
The best new science-fiction books of June 2026
3
Does gravity create reality? A shocking path to a theory of everything
4
Glaciers in the 'roof of the world' have suddenly started melting
5
Photons behave very strangely if you try to cut them
6
Mathematical AI helps researchers crack 50-year-old problem
7
Q-Day could destroy bitcoin – and our retirement savings
8
Why your brain needs plenty of “Aha!” moments
9
Millions of planets might form around supermassive black holes
10
Our elegant universe: rethinking nature’s deepest principle



