Ever wondered why blue eyes are blue, or where brown eyes come from? Common sense and conventional wisdom tell us that eye color is passed down from our parents, but is there something more?
I found this interesting article on tracking the genetic mutation that makes those brown eyes blue.
The research points to a 10000 year old genetic mutation that leads to blue eyes. Before that, all human eyes were brown. The genetic mutation caused the ability to produce melanin to switch off. Melanin is the pigment that gives our skin, hair and eyes their color.
When the melanin producing gene is switched off (either fully or partially in various degrees) brown eyes are “diluted” to blue. What’s more, scientists can trace the switch down to a single ancestor! Meaning, all blue-eyed people are descended from the same individual. That’s either really cool or creepy! Anyway, now you know.