Ep 57: Eye-popping Color - The Genetics and Melanin of it All

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For our first Science Shorty of the season, we are continuing with the exploration of color and biology, but this time no chickens or other fowl. Instead, we will explore some of the color patterns staring us right in the face—eye color and eye color genetics. Why do people have blue, green, hazel or even purple eyes? Hint: It’s all about the layers of the irides. How are those traits for eye color passed down from parent to child? Hint: Mendel’s rules don’t apply here, at least not completely. There’s more to it than meets the eye! To learn more about eye color and the interesting genetics behind it, listen to the episode.
Tune into this episode to learn:
- What kinds of melanin are responsible for which eye colors
- How irides and eye structure influence eye color
- The interconnectedness of two genes, HERC2 and OCA2, on eye color and the influence on color inheritance
If you enjoyed this episode, check out one more:
- Ep 54: The colorful life of bird eggs - chickens and turkeys
- Ep 44: The colorful life of bird eggs
- Ep 55: CRISPR food science
Resources:
1. Genotype-phenotype associations and human eye color by White and Rabago- Smith in Journal of Human Genetics (2011)
2. What color are your eyes? Teaching the genetics of eye color and vision by Mackey in Nature (2021)
3. Eye Colors from Cleveland Clinic

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Music from Pixabay: Future Artificial Intelligence Technology 130 by TimMoor
Music from https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Scott_Holmes: Hotshot by ScottHolmesMusic