* Why the big chill makes redheads blue

SCOTLAND'S redheaded hordes have terrorised their enemies on battlefields from Stirling Bridge to Wembley Stadium. But that hard-as-nails reputation could be under threat following research in the US.

Scotsmen may be known for wearing nothing beneath their kilts even in the harshest conditions, but academics at Louisville University, Kentucky, say they have scientific proof that redheads are the first to wrap up against the cold.

Studies of people who carry the 'Celtic' gene responsible for red hair have shown they are more sensitive to temperature than the rest of the population. Tests showed they suffer greater pain when exposed to cold - and heat - than those without the gene.

The findings are the latest in a series of worldwide studies that have shown redheads have unique, and sometimes dangerous, genetic characteristics such as greater vulnerability to skin cancer.

In the study, the scientists attached heating elements to the arms of 60 redheaded volunteers and 60 with dark hair to test their tolerance to temperature. Remarkably, redheads began to perceive pain at an average temperature of 22°C, some 10°C higher than dark-haired people.
There was also a big difference between redheads and dark-haired people when it came to reporting unbearable pain from cold. Dark-haired subjects could withstand temperatures around freezing, 6°C lower than redheads.

"Our results confirm anecdotal evidence that redheads are more sensitive to certain types of pain," said Professor Daniel Sessler, director of the Outcomes Research Institute and department of anaesthesiology at Louisville University.

Scotland is famed for its high proportion of redheads. Around 10% of Scots are redheads, while an additional 40% of the population with other hair colours carry the gene responsible for red hair. Prominent Scottish redheads include Mary Queen of Scots, singer Lulu, news reader Jackie Bird, Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy and the actor Dougie Henshall.

TV presenter, author and celebrity redhead, Vanessa Collingridge, admitted she was particularly vulnerable to the cold. The former weather forecaster said: "I have caught hypothermia twice while filming in Scotland and that was during the summer. I am like a reptile because I am so cold-blooded.

The stereotype of a Celt is a wild, kilted man with red hair who takes no notice of the temperature. In fact most redheads don't really like extremes of temperature.