Why does your hair turn gray? – Speaking of Chemistry

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It’s an inevitable side effect of longevity: your hair will turn gray. In this episode, Sophia Cai chats about the chemistry of your natural hair color, why it eventually turns white, and how scientists may be able to slow that graying down.

If this episode leaves you wanting more, check out these great resources.

First hair-graying gene identified
http://cen.acs.org/articles/94/i10/First-hair-graying-gene-identified.html

A genome-wide association scan in admixed Latin Americans identifies loci influencing facial and scalp hair features
http://www.nature.com/ncomms/2016/160301/ncomms10815/full/ncomms10815.html

Gray hair and vitiligo reversed at the root
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-05/foas-gha050313.php

Post-Traumatic Tress Disorder
http://www.fasebj.org/content/23/10/3253.full

Everyday Mysteries: Why does hair turn gray?
https://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/grayhair.html

Why Does Hair Turn Gray?
http://chemistry.about.com/od/howthingsworkfaqs/f/why-does-hair-turn-gray.htm

The structure we show for the tyrosinase enzyme is a prediction. Researchers haven't yet experimentally verified what it looks like. For more info, check out this paper from Enzyme Research: http://www.hindawi.com/journals/er/2012/192867/

And again, thanks to Gerald Weissman for talking to us for this video.
http://www.med.nyu.edu/biosketch/weissg01

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