Ever wondered what blue-eyed folks have in common, other than their gorgeous peepers? Well, this rare eye color has a captivating genetic backstory – and some cool perks.
Brown eyes are the global norm, but blue eyes come in second. Yet the tale of this distinct trait is far from run-of-the-mill. Turns out, all blue-eyed people likely trace back to one ancestor who lived 6,000 to 10,000 years ago.
Yep, every person sporting those hypnotic blue eyes has a shared genetic mutation that “switched off” the brown pigment-making in the iris. This age-old flip has given blue-eyed people some unexpected pluses…and minuses.
One famous quirk of blue eyes is heightened light sensitivity. Folks with darker irises have more melanin to safeguard the eye’s back tissues. Blue-eyed people? They lack that natural defense.