NEW YORK, BRONX (ORDO News) ā Is there a common ancestor for blue-eyed people? New research conducted by a team of scientists from the University of Copenhagen reveals the secrets surrounding the origin of this genetic trait.
Blue eyes are not only a beautiful feature, but also an interesting phenomenon in the world of genetics. New research suggests that people with blue eyes actually share a common ancestor. This interesting fact was discovered thanks to genetic tests that allowed scientists to trace the history of blue eyes over thousands of years.
Scientists say that all people with blue eyes on Earth share a common ancestor, and this was due to a genetic mutation that arose between six and 10,000 years ago. Genetic expert Professor Hans Eyberg explains that all of our distant ancestors previously had brown eyes, and the OCA2 gene played an important role in determining eye color.
The OCA2 gene encodes the P protein, which controls the production of melanin, the pigment responsible for the color of hair, eyes and skin. However, a mutation in this gene created a āswitchā that made it impossible to produce brown eyes. This switch, found in the next gene, limits the action of the OCA2 gene, reducing the formation of melanin in the iris, which gives the eyes a blue color.
According to Professor Eyberg, this switch on the OCA2 gene is unique and the same in all people with blue eyes, pointing to a common ancestor. In contrast, in brown-eyed people, the region of DNA that controls melanin production shows significant individual variation.
Interestingly, eye color is a genetic variable controlled by just one gene. Blue eyes are a recessive trait, although brown eyes are dominant. This means that two blue-eyed parents cannot have a brown-eyed child. However, two brown-eyed parents have a chance of having a blue-eyed child if both have a genetic mixture of blue and brown eyes.
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