All people with blue eyes descend from one ancestor who lived 6,000 years ago.

Blue eyes are caused by a single genetic mutation that occurs in one person. between 6,000 and 10,000 years ago. This interesting conclusion was reached in 2008 by Professor Hans Eiberg from the University of Copenhagen after more than ten years of research.

This event occurred northwest of the Black Sea. Eyberg explains that “because it is a recessive gene, only a few generations later man born with blue eyes“, which helped reduce the risk of degenerative problems associated with inbreeding in new “mutants”.

Currently 150 million people With this eye color they demonstrate the genetic success of this new shade, which was originally exclusive to the Caucasian race, but spread through intermarriage.

The professor, who works at the Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine at the University of Copenhagen, noted that “for many years we have been looking for the genetic information responsible for eye color.” The investigation began in 1996 and ended in 2008. study of 50 different genes” in search of an explanation, which was finally found in a very purposeful manner. “The discovery of the cause in just one gene was a big surprise,” sums up the Danish doctor.

Mutation does not present any advantages or disadvantages from a genetic point of view. The key, according to their research, lies in the “OCA2” gene, which is associated with melanin production. This gene in its original state can regulate melanin ranging from brown to green, but not blue. However, a mutation in the gene adjacent to “OCA2” has caused the action of this gene, and therefore its ability to produce melanin, to become conditioned, resulting in brown eyes.

This “switching off” from brown to blue happened in the Caucasus zone, from where the agricultural population began to migrate north and arrived in Europe. Moreover, the scientist says, “the color that is in short supply is always more popular.” “You only have to go to Google and look at a survey to find that 50% of people are more attracted to the color blue,” admits the Danish professor.

The appearance of a blue iris is a mild and specific example of what this mutated gene can do to neutralize melaninbecause in its most radical manifestation it completely suppresses the action of “OCA2” and leads to albinism.

Although some of the most cinematic images, such as Paul Newman or Greta Garbo, were of this color, “people with blue eyes They have minimal differences in DNA sequence.“which has no effect other than this small physical change,” Eiberg explains after conducting studies on Danes, Jordanians and Turks.

“This is neither a positive nor a negative mutation,” the study explains, “and does not reduce or increase the chances of survival“, although it is true that “the high frequency of blue eyes in individuals from Scandinavia indicates positive selection for this phenotype in a particular area.”

Now that he announces that his discovery may have medical use in “the treatment of cancer as all genetic modifications are relevant to understanding the disease,” Eyberg admits that his relationship with the color blue ended after the publication of his research in the journal Human Genetics. “A lot of researchers are now interested in the color blue, so now I will try to better understand green eyes,” he concludes.