Wednesday, October 5, 2011

blue eye color

So today happens to be a random science-y post. 

I was fascinated yesterday to learn there are at least 6 genes that contribute to eye color. This means that the way I (and probably you) learned about eye color, blue is recessive and brown dominant, is wrong! Blue eyes are basically pigment-less, meaning clear, resulting from the lack of melanin (the same thing that gives humans darker skin). Melanin causes browner eyes, so when they're clearer, Rayleigh scattering occurs making the eyes appear blue! This is the same reason that the sky is blue! 

SOOOO COOOLLLL!!!! 

and here are some creepy looking animals with blue eyes...but I still haven't figured out why I have a dark ring around my iris (which I learned is not caused by corneal arcus) 




2 comments:

Susan Cepin said...

Weird.

Layne Julia said...

Right??? I think the last one is especially creepy

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

blue eye color

So today happens to be a random science-y post. 

I was fascinated yesterday to learn there are at least 6 genes that contribute to eye color. This means that the way I (and probably you) learned about eye color, blue is recessive and brown dominant, is wrong! Blue eyes are basically pigment-less, meaning clear, resulting from the lack of melanin (the same thing that gives humans darker skin). Melanin causes browner eyes, so when they're clearer, Rayleigh scattering occurs making the eyes appear blue! This is the same reason that the sky is blue! 

SOOOO COOOLLLL!!!! 

and here are some creepy looking animals with blue eyes...but I still haven't figured out why I have a dark ring around my iris (which I learned is not caused by corneal arcus) 




2 comments:

Susan Cepin said...

Weird.

Layne Julia said...

Right??? I think the last one is especially creepy