Scientists have known for a while that blue eyes were caused by a genetic mutation about 10,000 years ago. Just recently, they found the mutated gene, called the OCA2 gene. This gene, located in the chromosomes, controls melanin production in the iris, which gives your eyes their color. Brown eyes contain a lot of melanin, while blue eyes contain little. Depending on the amout of melanin, eyes can be any color from brown to green. Originally, all people had brown eyes. Scientists say that all blye-eyed people have exactly the same DNA sequence, linking them all to one common ancestor. All blue-eyed people inherited the genetic switch in the same spot of DNA. The genetic switch somehow spread throughout Europe, and now other parts of the world.
I found this article interesting, being blue-eyed myself. I also found it interesting because I have ancestors from Denmark, one of the countires this study was conducted in. My question is, how did this mutation take place?
One Common Ancestor Behind Blue Eyes LiveScience
http://www.livescience.com/health/080131-blue-eyes.html
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