If a genetic mutation caused blue eyes in the Caucasian race...?

Question

Well how come it hasn't gone to Asia or even Africa?

Is it do to do with weather?

Answer 1

I've always wondered about these things, as well.  You have all kind of theories on this, I suppose?  Some say it is a genetic mutation.  Some have even recommended that they came from elsewhere.  You know what is interesting, though?  Those with darker eyes are better when it comes to hitting a fastball.  Wink.  True.  I have hazel eyes.

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"Eye colour: a key to human and animal behaviour. Lincoln, Nebraska: to Exel (originally published 1974) that light-eyed individuals would be more likely than dark-eyed individuals to abuse alcohol. Sample 1 consisted of 10,860 Caucasian male prison inmates, and Sample 2 consisted of 1862 Caucasian women respondents in a national survey. In both samples, individuals with light eyes had consumed significantly more alcohol than individuals with dark eyes. These results are consistent with previous findings that dark-eyed people exhibit more physiological arousal and more sensitivity to some medications than light-eyed people. The results may indicate that greater sensitivity to alcohol in dark-eyed individuals prevents them from drinking the large quantities of alcohol needed for development of physical dependence. Alternatively, greater behavioral inhibition may motivate light-eyed individuals to engage in alcohol consumption to achieve harm avoidance."

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob...

Behavioral measures, fractionated reaction and reflex times by means of electromyography, were used to determine if the eye color differences are found in the central or peripheral regions of the nervous system. The purpose of this research was to determine the truth of the hypothesis that dark-eyed individuals have faster reflex and reaction time than those with light eyes. Two experiments were conducted on subjects divided equally by eye pigmentation. The first fractionated simple reaction time into premotor and motor components by electromyography. Analysis of variance revealed that dark-eyed subjects had faster total reaction times and premotor times, but only the premotor time component approached significance. The second experiment fractionated patellar reflex time of light-eyed and dark-eyed subjects into reflex latency and motor components. There were no eye color differences for any of the reflex-time measures. The results of the two experiments support a central nervous system explanation for the iris pigmentation-reaction time phenomenon. (Authors/JD)

http://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/custom/...

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When you see such studies and results, on has to assume that it has something to do with genetics, right?  One also must conclude that genetics are quite complex.  Whatever the origin of the different color of eyes, it is certainly genetic.

  

Answer 2

I think it has to do with overall melanin production as well.  

Answer 3

Recent research cited more than one gene as being responsible for eye color. It may be that the mutation occurred far north and then made its way back down into the general European population. It appears that Africans and Asians are still maintaining strong coloring due to the weather and therefore don't have much chance for blue eyes. I have met Albino Africans with blue eyes.