The reason why Asians almost never have blue eyes goes back 10,000 years

Brown is the most common eye color in the world. For example for blue eyes German descent We are used to seeing it in humans, but we can also encounter it in Turks, albeit to a lesser extent.

What about Asians? Why are there almost no Asians with blue eyes?

First, let’s look at how blue eyes appear.

Eye color distribution on Earth

Eye color; It is determined depending on genetics and the presence of the pigment melanin, the main factor affecting eye color. Blue eye color is low amount of melanin It occurs when light is scattered as it falls on the surface of the eye.

Eye color generally depends on two types of melanin pigment: eumelanin (brown-black pigment) and pheomelanin (red-yellow pigment). Blue eye color is mainly seen when the amount of eumelanin is low.

The color of blue eyes is determined by the colored part of the eye, the iris. Iris, have pigment cells that determine different colors and if there is too little eumelanin on it, the light is scattered as it passes through the eye, creating the blue color.

Scientists think the traditional blue-eyed ‘allele’ had a single origin in Europe between 6,000 and 10,000 years ago.

Let’s first explain what an “allele” is: in genes which encode the same characteristic feature, but cause different characteristics to arise because they carry different codes Each gene is an allele.

Because the traditional blue-eyed allele is a recessive gene, it is likely that every person with blue eyes on both sides of their family has European ancestors. This ancestor may have been very far away hundreds of generations ago. Hmong people and residents of Zhelaizhai village in China hundreds of years ago Because of the European influx For example, blue eyes were more common.

So we can’t actually say that Asians don’t have blue eyes.

The traditional blue-eye allele is found in Asian populations; It is rare due to geographical and ethnic factors, genetic diversity and mutations. Yet there are many Asians with blue eye color. Looking at general statistics 1% of the Chinese population has blue eyes occurs, but researchers say it’s probably less than 1%.

Even though Asians have the allele, their eyes may not be blue.

The traditional blue eye allele in Europeans can lead to slightly lighter brown eyes in Asians. Having the traditional allele may not be enough to create blue eye color. Interaction with more than one gene is required. If they have the traditional allele but none of the variant genes, the eyes slightly lighter brown It can happen. In other words, they can carry the blue-eyed allele and not have blue eyes.

In summary, having European ancestry increases the likelihood of having both the traditional allele and the genes that produce blue eyes. Blue eyes in Asians, may still be the result of their European ancestry.

Various conditions can also cause blue eyes in Asians.

Rare mutations specific to Asia can lead to lighter colored eyes. For example, the bright blue eyes seen in the Buton people of Indonesia are caused by “Waardenburg syndrome” A genetic condition called

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