pkanchana/iStock via Getty Images Co-authored by Treading Softly The concept of being a "black sheep" has been around for centuries. Originally, some ministers in England believed that if a sheep was born with black fleece, it was a mark that the devil had been involved in its creation. Scientists later determined that black sheep are affected by a recessive gene that causes their fleece to gain the color. The typically dominant gene causes colors to be suppressed, and therefore, the fleece grows to be  ...