According to a danish researcher, blue eyes are the result of a single mutation that occured 10,000 years ago.
Hans Eiberg published his finding in the Journal Human Ginetics based on a mutation that links all people with blue eyes to a single mutation that occured 10 milleniums ago.
In 1996 Eidberg discovered the OCA2 gene which is a defining figure in eye colour, the new discovery of the blue eyed gene was found to be a mutation that works directly at stopping to a certain extent the OAC2 genes production of melanin in the eye. If full shutdown of melanin production occured albinoism would provale but in the case of the blue-eyed mutation the melanin is restricted, resulting the brown colouring to be diluted and becoming a blue iris. Melanin is the pigment that gives colour to hair and eyes.
"Eiberg started his search for the elusive mutation close to home. Using the Copenhagen Family Bank, a massive genetic database with detailed information on over 6,000 Danes, Eiberg found a family with three generations of blue-eyes. Looking at DNA from their blood, Eiberg homed in on a single, tiny blip in the genetic code. "All of the family had the same mutation," he said.
To make sure the Danish family wasn't a fluke, Eiberg tested hundreds more samples, including people from Turkey with dark hair, light skin and blue eyes and Jordanians with dark hair, dark skin and blue eyes. They all had the same mutation as the Danes. "I have analyzed 800 samples," Eiberg says. "Out of the 800, 799 eyes are the same."."
The mutation seen throughout all the blue-eyed people is 'extremely specific', as all the people in the study had the same exact variation which gave rise to Eidbergs idea of a single Ancestor that lived between 6,000 to 10,000 years ago.
Unfortunatley for the blue-eyed people in the world there are no advantages from the mutation apart from the change in eye colour which some scientist argue is an advantage in the world of attraction within certain populations.
by Sam W 4205706
references: Jan. 31, 2008 Courtesy University of Copenhagenand World Science staff http://www.world-science.net/othernews/080131_blueeyes.htm, Andrew Curry http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,532346,00.html
