What is the Origin and Reason for Green Eyes?
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Published 2024-05-12
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What is the Origin and Reason for Green Eyes?
Chapters:
0:00 Green Eyes
1:11 The Green-Eyed People of China
1:43 Genetics and Origins of Green Eyes
6:22 Reason for Green Eyes
When and where did green eyes first develop and for what reason? Now green eyes are the rarest eye colour, with only 2% of the entire world’s population having them. As a general breakdown of eye colour worldwide:
Brown eyes: 70 to 80%
Blue eyes: 8 to 10%
Hazel eyes: 5%
Amber eyes: 5%
Gray eyes: 3%
Green eyes: 2%
What’s your eye colour out of interest? Please let me know in the comments below… People of European descent represent the largest share of those with green eyes, and they are most common in Northern, Western and Central Europe. More specifically, Ireland, Scotland and other parts of northern Europe have the highest share of people with green eyes.
Iceland is one, with around 8–10% of men and 18–21% of women having them, and in the Netherlands, 6% of men and 17% of women have green eyes. In Europe more broadly, they're found in around 8 percent of the population. Among European Americans, green eyes are most common among those of Celtic and Germanic ancestry, at about 16%.
Even though they’re most common in Europe, people with green eyes can be found all over the world, even as far as remote parts of China. Liqian, a remote village in Western China, is known for its high percentage of people with green eyes and blond hair. Some suggest they’re descended from Roman soldiers who got stranded in China, but this isn’t proven. DNA results from 2010 that analysed these villagers did indicate that they are almost two thirds of Caucasian origin, potentially lending support to this Roman theory but it’s still debated.
Now what causes green eyes? Initially, scientists used to believe that eye colour in general was decided by two genes—one from each parent. Now, they know as many as 16 genes influence the amount of melanin produced by the iris, with the OCA2 and HERC2 genes heavily involved in eye colour. Melanin absorbs light, so irises with high amounts of melanin appear darker. These genes however interact in complex ways, and we are still trying to fully work out how this all works.
Sources:
Vision Centre: Green Eyes (Pictures, Genetics & Facts) (visioncenter.org)
Keyser, C., Bouakaze, C., Crubézy, E. et al. Ancient DNA provides new insights into the history of south Siberian Kurgan people. Hum Genet 126, 395–410 (2009). doi.org/10.1007/s00439-009-0683-0
Eye color - Wikipedia
Why Green Eyes Are 'Actually Really Rare', According To Experts (newsweek.com)
Ulivi S, Mezzavilla M, Gasparini P. Genetics of eye colours in different rural populations on the Silk Road. Eur J Hum Genet. 2013 Nov;21(11):1320-3. doi: 10.1038/ejhg.2013.41. Epub 2013 Mar 13. PMID: 23486544; PMCID: PMC3798846.
Most Attractive Eye Color | 1-800 Contacts (1800contacts.com)
Green Eyes: The Most Attractive Eye Color? (allaboutvision.com)
DNA tests show Chinese villagers with green eyes could be descendants of lost Roman legion | Daily Mail Online
Genetic tests may prove theory of China's lost Roman legion - www.smh.com.au/world/genetic-tests-may-prove-theor…
Melanin en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melanin
Rayleigh scattering - Wikipedia
Iris (anatomy) - Wikipedia
Silk Road - Wikipedia
Creative Commons Imagery:
JCS File:Goldene Kamera 2012 - Scarlett Johansson 3.JPG - Wikimedia Commons Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license. CC BY 3.0 Deed | Attribution 3.0 Unported | Creative Commons
Velivieras File:Eye colors map of Europe.png - Wikimedia Commons Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. CC BY-SA 4.0 Deed | Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International | Creative Commons
#greeneyes #eyecolour #ancestry
All Comments (21)
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Please let me know your thoughts below... Thanks for watching! I have blue eyes 😀
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Thank you for NOT using an AI voice and for showing yourself on the video. I appreciate that!
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Khaki-green eyed Asian here - hello from Kazakhstan! 👋
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TEXAN HERE: I have blond hair & green eyes. I'm genetically English, Scottish, Welsh & Irish. I'm the only person in my family with green eyes. Everyone else, on both sides have blue eyes. My son ended up with green eyes too.
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Hello from franconia,a region in the middle of germany, to the greeneyed brothers and sisters
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I have Green Eyes and billions of freckles. It's Great to be Rare! Hello from Canada
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Green eyes USA here. Celtic roots ❤
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Green eyes from Spain. My aunt and my 3 nephews have green eyes too.
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I think green eyes are awesome. I have brown eyes. But in the end, it isn't so much about the color as about the person's personality showing in their eyes. Eyes are windows of the soul!
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Green eyes, blonde hair, and freckles. My mother has green eyes and red hair, my son is blonde with green eyes also. Hello from Virginia, USA!
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Green eyes. Left handed. Freckles. Scottish and Cornish.
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I have green eyes, inherited them from my mother. She is Scottish descent, we are the Frasier clan. My boyfriend also has green eyes. He is part of the Maxwell clan.
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Fascinating, i had no idea hazel was more rare than blue
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Im irish ive black hair on my head and a red beard and ive green eye s .. proud Celt
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My optometrist said I’ve the greenest eyes he’s ever seen. My eyes are lime green, with gold flecks. My ancestry: Prussian, German, Irish, Norwegian. Both my parents had green eyes.
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My eyes are very green. I have had people complement me all my life. According to ancestry, I am Scottish, Irish, Welsh, and English. We have traced our family back to the 1500’s in England. I have a letter that was written to my Great Great Grandfather, it was by a woman suitor who said she missed looking into his “emerald green eyes”. My mother also had green eyes, but a slightly different shade.
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I'm a black American and i have blue eyes but, they are a darker color blue. Hello from Michigan.
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I'm among the 2% that can watch this video with green eyes 🙃
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Green eye's English with Scottish Irish Welsh and Norwegian ancestry. I love my Green eye's 🥰💚
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Green eyes, fair hair, pale skin and freckles…love my eye colour! I’m from the UK, but I believe I have Irish ancestry. My mum also has green eyes, but my dad’s eyes are brown, as are my sister’s
