Hitler’s vision of a blue-eyed/blonde-haired master race may have been a little off the mark, according to new research. Apparently, all of us with those blue eyes that made Frank Sinatra so popular (or was it his voice and acting?) owe our darling blues to a genetic mutation.
According to new research conducted by Professor Hans Eiberg from the University of Copenhagen, who began this field of research 12 years ago, we can trace the genetic mutation back somewhere between 6,000 and 10,000 years ago.
According to Eiberg: “Originally, we all had brown eyes,” but during the specified period a gene called OCA2 (probably wasn’t called that back then) which “literally 'turned off' the ability to produce brown eyes.”
Professor Eiberg was the first to implicate the OCA2 gene as being responsible for eye color, among other things. Since that implication, back in 1996, Eiberg has worked hard to reach conclusions such as these.
The mutation in the OCA2 gene effects the production of melanin, the biological pigment that gives color to our hairs, eyes and skin. According to Eiberg the mutation dials down the levels of melanin in our eyes, thus creating the popular blue.
By way of contrast, a human being without any melanin in their body would be an albino.
Eiberg has also managed to place a “best guess” on the location of where this mutation took place. He believes that it originated from the near east or northwest areas of the Black Sea region. This location is where the great agriculture migration to the northern part of Europe took place, during the Neolithic period 6,000 to 10,000 years ago. However, he stresses his unsurely; “That is my best guess,” he said. “It could be the northern part of Afghanistan.”
The discovery is being reported in the journal Human Genetics, where Professor Eiberg says that “They have all inherited the same switch at exactly the same spot in their DNA. From this we can conclude that all blue-eyed individuals are linked to the same ancestor.”
Joshua Hill, a Geek’s-Geek from Melbourne, Australia, Josh is an aspiring author with dreams of publishing his epic fantasy, currently in the works, sometime in the next 5 years. A techie, nerd, sci-fi nut and bookworm.
