Blue eyes correspond to 8% of Earth's population, about 600 million people. A survey conducted by the Danish geneticist Hans Eiberg with mitochondrial DNA revealed a curious fact: all people with blue eyes descend from the same human being. According to the study, a single gene mutation turned brown eye blue.
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Eiberg located this change in iris color with accuracy of time and space: this human mutant eye lived in the Black Sea region (southern Europe), about 7000 years ago. The mutation was following generation to generation and kept in human characteristics to the present day - 300 generations later, according to the website Mind Unleashed.
The discovery could be the explanation for the high concentration of blue eyes in the Old Continent, especially in Eastern Europe: Ukraine, 53% of people have blue eyes. Then the mutation spread to North America and Oceania. "A change in the OCA2 gene, created a 'switch' which literally 'turned off' the phenotype of brown eyes," Eiberg said.
Geneticists explain that the OCA2 gene controls the production of melanin pigment regulator of skin color, hair and eyes. The melanin production was not completely blocked (that cause albinism), creating humans with blue eyes. Before this change, all mankind had dark eyes. A beautiful surprise of nature, right?
source yahoo
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