Blue eyes are a relatively new phenomenon in human history. They are most common among those of European descent.
It is believed that a mutation in the OCA2 gene, formerly known as the P gene, causes blue eyes. This gene is located on chromosome 15.
Genetics
Genetics is the study of how traits (like hair and eye color) are passed down from one generation to the next. Every person has two copies of each gene – one from each parent – and they come in different versions, called alleles.
People with blue eyes have one specific gene that changes how much pigment the body makes, resulting in the beautiful shade of blue. Scientists believe that this gene originated thousands of years ago and is responsible for all blue-eyed humans alive today.
According to Professor Hans Eiberg from the University of Copenhagen, the single change in the gene code created a “switch” that diminishes the production of melanin — the pigment that gives our skin and hair their natural colors. That decrease allows more light to reach the eye, turning it blue.
The study, published in the journal Human Genetics, found that this mutation is located on a specific gene known as OCA2. Individuals with this polymorphism have fewer P protein proteins, which means less melanin is produced. This leads to blue eyes instead of brown ones.
Another major factor that determines eye color is the amount of melanin stored in compartments called melanosomes. There are a few genes that control how much melanin is stored in these compartments, and they vary by eye color.
There are a few other factors that also determine eye color, including how much melanin is produced by skin cells and how many melanosomes there are in the iris. The more melanin there is, the darker the person’s eyes.
Researchers have also discovered that a polymorphism in a certain gene called HERC2 can also affect how much melanin is made by the body. This gene is found on chromosome 15 and plays a big role in eye color.
In addition to HERC2, the gene OCA2 is also involved in eye color, and individuals with the polymorphism have a lower level of melanin than those with the normal version. This can lead to blue or green eyes depending on what other factors are present.
This is why some people who are of African descent have a brown or hazel eye, while others have brown, green or blue eyes. It’s thought that the blue-eyed gene arose earlier than the brown-eyed one, and was likely passed on by ancestors who were hunter-gatherers in Africa.
Waardenburg Syndrome
Waardenburg syndrome is a rare genetic condition that can affect people of all ages. It causes a number of bodily pigment changes and sometimes affects hearing. It can be diagnosed by a doctor looking at the clinical signs.
Most cases of Waardenburg syndrome are caused by mutations in a few genes. These genes include MITF, SNAI2, and SOX10.
The symptoms of this disorder can vary depending on the type of gene you have. Some types have no symptoms while others can have a variety of body and facial pigment changes, including a white forelock, light eyes, and patches of pale skin that are lighter than the rest of your body.
A person with Waardenburg syndrome may also have an unusually small head, called microcephaly. This condition can lead to developmental delays and mental disabilities.
Some Waardenburg syndrome types are associated with a disorder that causes deafness in children, called sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). The mutated gene that causes this disorder can cause different structures to be missing or abnormally placed in the inner ear. These structures, called the organs of corti, are necessary for turning vibrations into signals that the brain can understand as sound.
In addition to hearing loss, a person with Waardenburg syndrome may have fused digits, which means that some of their fingers are joined together. This can result in asymmetrical finger joints and wrist bones.
There are a few ways to treat the symptoms of this condition, including sun protection, hair dye, and cosmetics. These treatments can help cover a white forelock, make hypopigmentation less noticeable, and reduce the risk of developing sunburn or skin cancer.
The condition usually is hereditary, meaning that the same gene needs to be passed down from parents to each child. Some of the mutated genes are more complex than others, which may affect how they cause the signs and symptoms of the condition.
In most cases of this condition, people with this disorder live long and healthy lives with no major complications. However, if you or your child have any serious health problems due to Waardenburg syndrome, it is important to seek treatment. This will improve the quality of your life and ensure that you or your child live a typical lifespan.
Environmental Factors
There are a number of environmental factors that can influence eye colour, including the amount of sunlight an individual is exposed to. This can impact how much melanin is produced, which can change the colour of a person’s eyes.
The most common eye colours are blue, brown and hazel. There are also people who have yellow or green eyes, as well as albino individuals with no pigment at all.
These variations can occur because of a combination of genetics and environmental factors. For example, dark skin can be caused by a genetic mutation called Waardenburg syndrome that affects the genes responsible for producing melanin in the body. This can produce light hair and eyes, or it can cause people to have dark eyes with white or blond hair.
It is also possible for a genetic mutation to change the iris colour of someone’s eyes, making them look blue. This happens in both Europeans and people of African descent, according to a 2015 study.
One of the most common ways to find out whether a person has blue or brown eyes is to test their DNA. This is a fairly simple procedure that can be done in just about any lab.
A recent genome-wide association study in almost 195,000 participants from 10 populations identified 50 previously unidentified genes that are associated with eye colour. These genes explained just over 50% of the variation in eye colour, highlighting it as a complex genetic trait.
This study also found that eye colour is heritable, which means that it can be passed down to children from parents who have blue or brown eyes. Studies using identical or monozygotic (MZ) and non-identical or dizygotic (DZ) twins from Queensland showed that 74% of the variability in eye colour was heritable [19].
Another interesting finding of this study is that the heritability of eye colour varies between and within ethnic groups, as a result of genetic variation and interactions between different genes. In Europe, the heritability of brown and hazel eyes was relatively low, whereas in East Asians it was higher.
Misconceptions
Some misconceptions exist about black people with blue eyes. These misconceptions can be caused by a lack of knowledge about the genetics that determine eye color, environmental factors, or both. For instance, there is a common belief that a child’s eye color is governed by a single gene. This myth is false, and in fact, the genes that influence eye color are complex and often interact with one another.
The majority of human ancestors were born with brown eyes. However, around 6,000 to 10,000 years ago, a mutation in the OCA2 gene occurred that disrupted the production of melanin, turning people’s eyes from dark to light. This was a result of the pressure that humans faced to evolve darker skin and eyes as they emerged from Africa under harsh sunlight and became increasingly dependent on agriculture to survive.
These changes in the iris, which is where the melanin is produced, made it impossible for some people to have brown eyes. This caused them to develop blue eyes instead. This is called recessive inheritance, and it means that both parents must carry the gene to pass the trait to their children.
This is also why some people with light skin have blue eyes. They have a deficiency in melanin, which causes the light to bounce off the rear of the iris and appear blue.
A similar situation occurs when people with darker skin develop blue eyes. The melanin is still present in the iris, but it’s unable to produce enough melanin for the irises to be dark.
Some people believe that the blue eye is a natural part of the human body, and that it’s genetic. This is a mistake, and it’s not a natural part of the human body.
Although this is a misconception, there are still some people who have blue eyes because of genetics. The genetics that cause people to have blue eyes are rare.
The most common reason why people have blue eyes is because they carry a recessive gene that causes them to have blue eyes. This gene is most commonly found in people of European descent, but it can also be found in certain other groups.