All blue-eyed humans have common ancestor
New research shows that people with blue eyes have a single, common ancestor. A team at the University of Copenhagen have tracked down a genetic mutation which took place 6-10,000 years ago and is the cause of the eye colour of all blue-eyed humans alive on the planet today. “Originally, we all had brown eyes.”New research shows that people with blue eyes have a single, common ancestor. A team at the University of Copenhagen have tracked down a genetic mutation which took place 6-10,000 years ago and is the cause of the eye colour of all blue-eyed humans alive on the planet today.
“Originally, we all had brown eyes”, said Professor Eiberg from the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine. “But a genetic mutation affecting the OCA2 gene in our chromosomes resulted in the creation of a “switch”, which literally “turned off” the ability to produce brown eyes”. The OCA2 gene codes for the so-called P protein, which is involved in the production of melanin, the pigment that gives colour to our hair, eyes and skin. The “switch”, which is located in the gene adjacent to OCA2 does not, however, turn off the gene entirely, but rather limits its action to reducing the production of melanin in the iris – effectively “diluting” brown eyes to blue. The switch’s effect on OCA2 is very specific therefore. If the OCA2 gene had been completely destroyed or turned off, human beings would be without melanin in their hair, eyes or skin colour – a condition known as albinism.
Variation in the colour of the eyes from brown to green can all be explained by the amount of melanin in the iris, but blue-eyed individuals only have a small degree of variation in the amount of melanin in their eyes. “From this we can conclude that all blue-eyed individuals are linked to the same ancestor,” says Professor Eiberg. “They have all inherited the same switch at exactly the same spot in their DNA.” Brown-eyed individuals, by contrast, have considerable individual variation in the area of their DNA that controls melanin production.
Professor Eiberg and his team examined mitochondrial DNA and compared the eye colour of blue-eyed individuals in countries as diverse as Jordan, Denmark and Turkey. His findings are the latest in a decade of genetic research, which began in 1996, when Professor Eiberg first implicated the OCA2 gene as being responsible for eye colour. Nature shuffles our genes
The mutation of brown eyes to blue represents neither a positive nor a negative mutation. It is one of several mutations such as hair colour, baldness, freckles and beauty spots, which neither increases nor reduces a human’s chance of survival. As Professor Eiberg says, “it simply shows that nature is constantly shuffling the human genome, creating a genetic cocktail of human chromosomes and trying out different changes as it does so.”
http://www.ku.dk/english
“Originally, we all had brown eyes”, said Professor Eiberg from the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine. “But a genetic mutation affecting the OCA2 gene in our chromosomes resulted in the creation of a “switch”, which literally “turned off” the ability to produce brown eyes”. The OCA2 gene codes for the so-called P protein, which is involved in the production of melanin, the pigment that gives colour to our hair, eyes and skin. The “switch”, which is located in the gene adjacent to OCA2 does not, however, turn off the gene entirely, but rather limits its action to reducing the production of melanin in the iris – effectively “diluting” brown eyes to blue. The switch’s effect on OCA2 is very specific therefore. If the OCA2 gene had been completely destroyed or turned off, human beings would be without melanin in their hair, eyes or skin colour – a condition known as albinism.
Variation in the colour of the eyes from brown to green can all be explained by the amount of melanin in the iris, but blue-eyed individuals only have a small degree of variation in the amount of melanin in their eyes. “From this we can conclude that all blue-eyed individuals are linked to the same ancestor,” says Professor Eiberg. “They have all inherited the same switch at exactly the same spot in their DNA.” Brown-eyed individuals, by contrast, have considerable individual variation in the area of their DNA that controls melanin production.
Professor Eiberg and his team examined mitochondrial DNA and compared the eye colour of blue-eyed individuals in countries as diverse as Jordan, Denmark and Turkey. His findings are the latest in a decade of genetic research, which began in 1996, when Professor Eiberg first implicated the OCA2 gene as being responsible for eye colour. Nature shuffles our genes
The mutation of brown eyes to blue represents neither a positive nor a negative mutation. It is one of several mutations such as hair colour, baldness, freckles and beauty spots, which neither increases nor reduces a human’s chance of survival. As Professor Eiberg says, “it simply shows that nature is constantly shuffling the human genome, creating a genetic cocktail of human chromosomes and trying out different changes as it does so.”
http://www.ku.dk/english
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Damage
Do you also have a dose of brain damage?
reply to 'can it not be both'
i'm sorry but your 'god' rant was very funny. it sound like you're a believer in intelligent design ...GOD made us GOD created the world etc. no really, physics created the world. without the big bang there wouldn't be any 'god' and certainly not you. ezpecially since 'god' is somehting humans like to beleive in. i doubt animals pray. your maker, by the way, is your mother and father.or if you want to go deeper,you're really made up of stardust. and you have blue eyes because as you said,your ancestors do. blue eyes are recessive.brown eyes are not, they dominate over blue eyes. and green eyes are codominant, that's why you see people with greenish-brown eyes. and it's not possible for two blue eyed people to have a brown eyed kid. if they do, that kid is adopted. but it's possible for two brown eyed people to have a blue eyed kid because they could carry the recissive blue eye gene. honestly, didn't you people learn high school biology? this stuff is the basics.
The way back machine
Personally, I'd like to know who that single, common ancestor was.
bigoo lagaa pangaa janaki attack
rana ma fana,
rana ma fana,
that's what we need and that's what we wanna
who cares
blue green brown.. its all the same when the lights are off.
an toned body is still toned in the dark and this you can do something about.
? need help ?
both my parents have blond curly hair and blue eyes and so do i and my sister we are all also fair skined is that a mutation?
Omg
WTF you lot are retarded. If you read the artical properly then you would see that it never says that brown eyed people are not defended from this common ancester it is saying that all blue eyed people are decended from this person.
You people need to learn how to read.
Also this is not the place where you can bible bash and recruit new members to your religion.
Read the original
Apologies, that was meant to be a specific reply to one of the earlier posts. However, the same mistake seems to have been made by a lot of people. The paper argues that the mutation for blue eyes has arisen only once, in one person, about 10,000 years ago. All copies of the blue-eye gene have been passed down from that person.
If this is true, and you have blue eyes, then you are almost certainly are decended from them. If you don't have blue eyes, but one of your parents or children has, then you too almost certainly are carrying one copy of the blue-eye gene. The reason for you not having blue eyes is that your other copy is for darker eyes, and is dominant to the blue-eye gene.
Read the original
I suggest you read the original paper.
Eiberg et al. Hum Genet (2008) 123:177–187
You have misinterpreted what they found. All blue eyed people share the share ancestor. If you have brown eyes you may or may not. In your case you obviously do, since your mother and children do.
Wasn't the blue eye gene adaptive of the colder climate
I thought that the genetic mutation here was adaptive of the colder climate. Just like light skin the blue eyes can take in Vitamin D quickly--even in areas where there is limited sunlight.
Atleast one person gets it!
Pat yourself on the back! You are the only one who actually read and comprehended this article correctly! It is actually baffling that most of these people comprehended it the way they did! Just goes to PROVE that people don't think before they speak! Brain power is clearly on the decline.
sense!
you are the only person on here who has actually read and understood what this article is saying, which in itself is actually hilarious!!
some of you aren't as smart as you think, go back and read it again
they are not talking about high school level genetics
Many of you don't seem to understand that they are not talking about how a gene is transmitted from one generation to another. They are talking about how the mutation allowing for blue eyes first originated from just one individual. What that means is that everyone with blue eyes must have gotten it as a result of being descended from that individual.
snake eyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeez
snaaaaaaaaaakkeeeeeeeeeee eyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Two Brown = 1 Blue + 1 Green Solution
The Solution: The mailman and the milk man. That husband might want to ask questions.
genetics
did nt the author of this article do basic genetics in biology at school..
you have one dominant gene and one recessive gene , if your dominant gene is brown and your recessive gene is blue you will be brown eyed.
If you have children they can choose from 4 genes 2 from their father and two from their mother.
so if there are two brown eyed parents that carry recessive blue eyed genes their off spring can easily have blue eyes !
rubbish science - who write this rubbish
I have brown eyes, some of my brothers have blue eyes, my children have blue eyes, my father had brown eyes my mother blue eyes, I am white and my familyor grandparents and great grandparents have a variety of eye colours.
So they even though I am their DNA descendant have an ancestor that I do not share, and my children have an ancestor I do not share, rubbish rubbish bollocks !
rubbish article
I have brown eyes I am white , my mother had blue eyes my dada was brown eyed .. my children are blue eyed. So according to this ridiculous article many of my DNA closely related family they have a common ancestor I do not share.
That is bollocks sorry !
I have brown eyes from a a family with brown / hazel and blue eyes on both sides all white .. so despite my eyes colour I share the DNA of my ansestors ,, but the blue eyed ones have an ancestor I do not share ..
Absolute tribe !
I have dark hazel eyes and both of my parents have blue eyes
How is it impossible? both my parents have blue eyes, and so do both sets of grandparents besides my grandmother on my mom's side. It is possible. I have dark green/brown copper colored eyes and everyone else has blue.
I will pray for you! Love you
I will pray for you! Love you and may God( Jesus Christ, Lord and Savior) continue to bless you! Have a great day!
..
well I'm from mauritius.my mom is asian( indian origin) yet she has hazel eyes with a grey ring. my dad has brown eyes. my 3 sisters got brown eyes but different from my dad's brown colour. mine looks more red than brown.
I think so
I agree with you
to all the people who claim
to all the people who claim it's not possible for Brown Eyed Parents to have Blue Eyed Kids I'm about to prove you wrong I'm friends with a husband and wife couple that I met at a high school game a long time ago who are both brown eyed and they have one son who is blue eyed and another son who is Green Eyed so answer me that one.
on a side note about me, my mom and my brother are both brown eyed and I have inherited my fathers hazel eyes but mine have a dark ring of blue all around the outside outer edges of both my irises that's the best way I can describe it and could it possibly be the 1/4 German that I have as one of my nationalities be why I have the ring of blue? I'm a born and raised American like my parents were my brother is also a born and raised American (I'm a girl btw)sincerely,Midgie.
Oh boy here we go
@the person convicting the person saying God isn't real-
If you call yourself Christian, that is why a lot of people are turned off by Christians and religions, because of comments like that. Christians are called to love and accept everyone, no matter what they believe.
I read the bible. Nothing has
I read the bible. Nothing has done a finer job of scaring me off religion. Have YOU read your beloved bible? How anyone can believe that horrible nonsense is beyond me. Let alone people are citing it as a moral guide when there is nothing less moral and more ignorant in this world.
Susie, Two thoughts- first
Susie,
Two thoughts- first where is your husband's birth certificate? Second - my Dad lost his mom and sister in a car accident in CA, in 1958? It was in the papers. Back then, going off the side of a cliff was a major story. Check the libraries in that area for old articles.
Kate
Blue eyes, recessive gene
It's impossible for both parents with light-coloured eyes to have children with brown eyes. If one parent has blue or green eyes and the other has brown eyes, then it can be possible. Also, if both parents have brown eyes, then they can have children with blue eyes, but it can happen if both of them have a blue-eyed ancestor. This is because blue eyes are a recessive gene.
have more blue eyes children
blue eyes people need to have children with other blue eyes people.
to answer your question.
''''his dad Edward had white blonde hair as a child and his mom Maria had dirty blonde hair. Is this possible?? ''''
No, she cheated on him, or he was adopted.
can it not be both?
Yes people there is a GOD. We can all sit around and insult each others intelligence, but that has nothing to do with reality. Yes, science is real, but GOD made it. We are all born with a basic knowledge of good and evil. Even my childrens very first sounds were "GOD" when they needed help. Deny it, mock it, whatever you dare. Ultimately it wont change a thing. My eyes are blue because my parents eyes were,and their parents because and their parents because...and so on down the line.Eventually you do get to the beginning though and right there waiting you WILL find the creator. FACT FACT FACT This is something we feel not something we see,but the day will come to pass that we will see. Not even the angels in heaven know the when, but when it comes I would like to look my maker in the eye and say that I believed.
environment
Its more of a question. Is your eye color related to the environment?
you have proven no god either
@God is not rteal:
you may be carrying the gay gene, i guess god was discredited by you, now don't spread it, i don't want anyone else harmed by that evil little gene.
iTTmDvhePbYdt
ivaedocvunf@gmail.com
VfFzQdzoFuRSw
ivaedocvunf@gmail.com
zNYVyxTnTstEwUQuM
ivaedocvunf@gmail.com
oJuwBMhcUvJjztA
ivaedocvunf@gmail.com
pretty sure you're wrong...
pretty sure you're wrong...
eye color changing
i had blue eyes when i was little but now am possitive that i have green. i think mine changed color
dark eyed child with 2 blue eye light skin & hair parents???
My husband Tim has black hair, dark brown eyes, and olive skin - he can get blackish brown when he gets tanned. His parents (or supposed parents) both have blue eyes - his dad Edward had white blonde hair as a child and his mom Maria had dirty blonde hair. Is this possible??
My husband’s family had money (left by dad's wealthy mom) - well, anyway I called the family's attorney one day to ask questions regarding tax The secretary asked me who I was and I explained that I was Susie – and told her that Maria was Tim's mom - and she said "oh, you mean grandmother" and I said "no, his mom" well, she corrected me again. I was astonished!!! To my knowledge, Maria was my husband’s mom.
Well, then she went on to explain that my husband’s mom & dad died in a car accident one day when they went to the mountains – their car went over the edge and they were killed. She told me she was the one who handled the case – she said my husband was only an infant when it happed. He was born November of 1953. I think she said his parents were in the local mountains, which would be San Bernardino, CA. so I am guessing they may have been in Big Bear.
My husband had a really bad temper – I was not going to tell him – out of fear! He was an only child and he and his mother had a very strained relationship – she never let him out of her sight. She also treated his dad with disrespect and contempt! She would not even share the same butter! Crazy huh??
I am guessing that someone was her son or daughter - I’m also thinking that maybe his dad said something like “oh, go ahead kids – enjoy your day” and now his mom hates him for it – just a guess though based on their relationship or lack of.
I cannot figure out which parent was the maternal side and which the fraternal in order for Tim to have brown eyes. Was the child a son or daughter of Maria?? Was the child a son or daughter of Edward??
My son (Tim’s son) confronted Maria about 15 years since I had the conversation with the secretary (who has since retired – and there is no way to contact her) – Maria denies it but did not even tell me about their conversation. I would have thought she would have at least asked me about it – but nothing – only silence.
That kind of tells me that it must be true.
One thing I forgot to mention – as soon as my son asked her about it – she took him into her room and showed him some papers that supposedly shows that Tim is her child – that is weird in itself??
I have no way of looking up info on a car crash from that time – I have no idea even where to start. I am very curious about the truth, as it is my children’s ancestry afterall!
My husband Tim and I had 2 boys, one with brown eyes and one with dark hazel. I and my parents all have blue eyes.
Any ideas????
Thanks,
Susie
Surely it has more to do with
Surely it has more to do with lighting levels than anything. And if you add the fact one persons comment that "blue eyed people produce more vitamin D". Well it is due to lower light levels and as we know we require vitamin D to also prevent depression So maybe the same the same switch that control vitamin D production influences melanin production. Northerners do not require as much melanin anyway to protect us from the sun however we still need to produce the same amount of vitamin D from lower lighting levels.
So obvious......
Matt
Edinburgh, Scotland
BB
It takes very little research to learn why one person has two different colored eyes.
Chimerism once had very little understanding in humans, but there has been a lot of enlightenment in Genetics recently.
Also to the people explaining away God...you really can't out think him folks. Those of us who have experienced him KNOW he is there. He is not physical...you have to find him with your spirit. That is another field of study.
Trade
I will trade places with you. You can come live in America (California) and I will take your place in Maldives. Ok?
Just blue-eyed people with that ancestor?
Like many other comments here, it seems way too much of a coincidence that blue-eyed and only blue-eyed people descend from this ancestor 10,000 years ago. If the recessive blue gene first appeared in that person, it is most certainly logical that any person who is a carrier of at least one blue-eyed gene also descends from this particular ancestor, no doubt. I can see the article's point in trying to find out where and how the blue-eyed gene arose from the predominant brown-eyed gene which is quite interesting. However, I do not like the implication it gives about the link between this ancient person and blue-eyed people as an isolated entity. After all, there are certainly people who have fully dominant eye color genes, very dark color, and yet still descend from this ancestor.
For example, consider this lineage of descent: a blue-eyed person who descended from this blue-eyed ancestor (or even this particular person) mated with a brown-eyed person and had brown-eyed offspring. Their brown-eyed offspring intermingled with other dark-eyed people and had dark-eyed offspring. This process of continued intermingling with brown-eyed people repeated and ultimately resulted in many dark-eyed (and probably dark hair and dark skin) people carrying all dominant eye color genes who still descend from this ancient person. So while it is arguable that such people may not be related to this ancestor through eye color genes, they still carry at least a minute number of genes somewhere in their genome of this ancestor. Furthermore, these people could really stretch their argument by stating that whatever little bit of genes they inherited from this ancestor are in every cell of their body and while the genes may not control eye color directly, the cells in the iris of the eyes still contain the bit of genes from that ancestor.
Statically speaking, it is said that many people with European ancestry are descended from Charlemagne and he only lived about 1,200 years ago. Many more people descend from the pharaohs of Ancient Egypt who lived 4,000 to 5,000 years ago. Considering this criteria, the bottom line is you can’t help but think that the vast majority of the people in the world descend from someone who lived 10,000 years ago including people of all races (Whites, Blacks, Arabs, Indians, Asians, and many other indigenous people-you name it).
Since the first people arose in Africa, they had dark eyes due to the climate; hence brown eyes (and all other dark genes) came from Africa. But my mom has green eyes and I am wondering where and how that gene mutated? It this gene can be traced to a certain ancient person, how long ago did this person live and what geographical area did this take place? The same research should be done on all other eye colors like grey, hazel, amber, and even the rare red and violet colors.
GOD
I understand how people can argue that the Bible is fact and that beliefs not even extrapolated by them are concrete facts: They are physiologically incapable of individual thought.
But so many obviously intelligent people swallow these claims as well. From such an early age, thoughtlessness was presented as a virtue to so many people. The Catholic Church threatened Galilaeo's life because he had ideas that could prompt others to think for themselves instead of blind acceptance of antiquated belief systems. They shouldn't have worried: people cannot deal with anything but what they are used to. Some people are predisposed to creativity, some are not. Some are capable of absolute belief in a singular truth, while others are capable of doubt. To some people hypothetical situations are for the classroom alone, while for others they represent the uncertainties in the real world.
The other problem is that the modern world has removed too many selective pressures. In a wilderness situation, a creatively-inclined individual would probably survive and reproduce better than a person predisposed to rigidly upholding traditions. In religious communities (eg. where absistinance only sex-ed is practiced), birth rates are significantly higher than in other areas and family sizes tend to be larger. The moral majority is trying to disprove evolution through its own self-effacing culture. Irony anyone?
Religion has a place. But it has to remember it.
Love
@ Rteal what is that
Well if you use actual science, the science coming from peer reviewed journals, kind of science that can be replicated by you, me, or anyone else who tries it, the kind of science that you can prove and that you don't just need faith in, your Bible has some chronological errors. I am not saying your G*d doesn't exist (though I don't believe he/she/it/they do/does), all I am saying is that through the use of science and tracing back the mitochondrial DNA, it can be shown that there was a "mitochondrial Eve" that we have likely all descended, though this event does not occur within the times of the bible.
Unfortunately concrete physical evidence of macroevolution at every step isn't readily available (today). This would take 1000's of years to develop, and there are missing links in fossil records,etc. Fortunately though,as time passes on for thousands and thousands of years, there will be an opportunity for it to be proven. During that time, people such as yourself, theists, will have no way of proving God's existence. Eventually people will wisen up, forget ancient ways of religion, and we can all live happily together on this planet as atheists.
That day is long off, our bodies will likely be decomposed at that time, and considering that there is no afterlife, just as there aren't any fairies dancing about my room right now, its not very important to me to argue about existence of nonexistent things anymore. :) Take care.
Years and years in the past,
Years and years in the past, they could not explane the things we know today.
For explaning, they did found that there was a higher being who did ol the things we see.
And they called it 'God"
Now, we can explane the things, so we do not need to belive in a higher being, also know as god.
Rteal what is that?
What has genetics got to do with disproof of God ????? Your mind is blocked to the truth by Satan. You have not read the bible very well as it looks, David in the bible was promised things for his blood line ! I guess that would have to be genetics?Things do evolve as a natural process of God for things to adapted to changes as time goes on but they do not change into different species. I pray you come to know how wrong you are. If you do not believe,
read the bible for your self and then see what you think.
theyre not identical twins
identical twins come from two embryos that are from the same egg and sperm which split after fertilisation, therefore they share 100% of genes, making them natural clones. so theyre not identical twins if the have different coloured skin.
eyes
eyes don't really change color. sometimes they will appear to because of lighting or surrounding colors. when you cry, the pink around your eyes makes the iris look green.
WANTED: Blue Eyed Blond Kids
I'm from the Maldives (Asia) and I've brown eyes and black hair and tanned skin (not dark yer not whity-white. Ever from my childhood I've dream t of having blue eyed blond kids. I don't know why?
As I grew up little by little I came to know that our country was a place where people (travelers on ships - long long ago) came and stayed for months and a mixed raced was formed.
Amongst the travelers were Middle Eastern, African, Western, Far Eastern and South Asians. Of course the South Asians were the dominant and the first were the least and as a result we don't have any surviving blonds or blue eyes.
However, our skins are in ranges of fair, brown and dark. Our hair is either brown or black. The eyes are also mainly brown, black but there are lighter colours like gray too.
Much later I noticed that my skin was a bit reddish like the Mediteraians (we've got the Meds as visitors very often in the past). Also I've noticed when in the sun my hair is not actually black but brown. Also I've seen a few 'blond/golden' like hairs inside my nostrils.
Soon I was much convinced that my ancestors must be some where not from Asia. (Maybe this is the reason I don't like the local food with spices). And maybe this is the reason why I'm so inclined to get 'blue eyed blond kids'. Maybe my genes are asking me to migrate (something that came to me while I was in my 4th grade - I thought that I don't like this place and live in the West - haha CRAZY)
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