06 February 2008

Mutants Are Everywhere

No kidding, they are. Here's how to recognize them:

New research shows that people with blue eyes have a single, common ancestor. A team at the University of Copenhagen have tracked down a genetic mutation which took place 6-10,000 years ago and is the cause of the eye colour of all blue-eyed humans alive on the planet today.

“Originally, we all had brown eyes”, said Professor Eiberg from the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine. “But a genetic mutation affecting the OCA2 gene in our chromosomes resulted in the creation of a “switch”, which literally “turned off” the ability to produce brown eyes”.


More in the press release.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

But, but, but the earth is only 6,000 years old. How can the gene be between 6,000 and 10,000?

Seriously though, my dad's side of the family has a mutation that caused extra bones in the feet. Not noticeable except to a doctor but I wonder how old that mutation is.

WestEnder said...

Ha! I guess I lost Ken Hamm as a reader. It was only a matter of spacetime.

Three families that got yer feet beat:

The blue people of KY.

The werewolf family.

The quadrupedal family.

ohdave said...

omg... Mark, you took the words right out of my mouth. EXZACTLY what I was going to write.

Well, except for the footbones thing. I wasn't going to write that. But the six thousand years thing... that's what I was going to say!!!

Jinx.