Are Blue Eyes in Humans a Mutation? | The Institute for Creation Research

Are Blue Eyes in Humans a Mutation?

When it comes to the history of basic human traits, an evolutionary myth about eye color often pops up. The secular story maintains that blue eyes are the result of a genetic mutation that occurred in the recent evolutionary history of humans. This narrative is rooted in the belief that modern humans originally evolved from dark-skinned, dark-eyed ancestors from Africa. As the story goes, a mutation occurred when humans migrated into more northerly climates where the trait was supposedly favored by the lower-light environment. But, as I’ve discussed in previous articles, this out-of-Africa idea is contradicted by both genetic and linguistic data.1

As with most traits that were once thought to be very simple and only controlled by a few genes, eye color now appears to be much more elaborately controlled than previously believed.2 Human eye color variation is a result of diverse levels and distribution patterns of melanin pigment in the iris. Genetic studies have determined that it’s a complex trait controlled by a number of different genes that interact with each other, with some genes playing larger roles than others.3 A significant portion of the melanin variation is controlled by a regulatory element, a specialized segment of DNA that acts somewhat like a programmable light switch. This particular stretch of DNA binds specific groups of regulatory proteins that control a gene associated with melanin production.

People with blue eyes have a common variation in the DNA of this region, and it binds a slightly different set of regulatory proteins compared to that of people with brown eyes.3 Because there are different highly specified sets of proteins that interact with the regulatory DNA in the various patterns of eye color, the blue-eye trait isn’t really a mutation at all. It’s actually the result of a specific genetic program that varies eye color.

The biology and genetics of the eye color trait indicate a suite of genetic program variants that the Creator placed in humanity at the beginning of creation. Several recent secular genetic studies have shown that the blue-eye trait existed in the DNA of some of the oldest known humans. In 2018, one research study found this trait in the DNA of two different human remains from northern Europe that were allegedly 9,000 and 7,000 years old. The older individual was believed to have also had dark skin.4

Another recent report described the presence of the trait in the DNA of human remains found in Israel with an alleged age of about 6,500 years.5 In fact, this study also reported that almost 50% of the people in this Middle Eastern population had blue eyes! While the secular dates for these studies are likely inflated due to the influence of evolutionary presuppositions that permeate archaeology, it’s clear that blue eyes were a common human trait throughout Europe and the Middle East about 4,000 years ago, a time when Earth was being repopulated after the global Flood and the dispersion from Babel.

Based on research in ancient DNA and molecular biology, it’s clear the blue-eye trait is not some random mutation that occurred as humans were allegedly evolving from dark-eyed and dark-skinned ancestors coming out of Africa. Blue eyes, along with other variants (brown, green, etc.), can be found in humans of many different skin colors and people groups and are part of the natural variation built into us by our Creator, who loves variety.

References

  1. Tomkins, J. P. Out of Babel—Not Africa. Creation Science Update. Posted on ICR.org February 16, 2015, accessed July 8, 2019.
  2. Tomkins, J. P. 2018. Human Traits Not So Simple After All. Acts & Facts. 47 (2): 15.
  3. Eiberg, H. et al. 2008. Blue eye color in humans may be caused by a perfectly associated founder mutation in a regulatory element located within the HERC2 gene inhibiting OCA2 expression. Human Genetics. 123 (2): 177-187.
  4. Brace, S. et al. Population Replacement in Early Neolithic Britain. bioRxiv. Posted on biorxiv.org February 18, 2018, accessed July 8, 2019.
  5. Harney, E. et al. 2018. Ancient DNA from Chalcolithic Israel reveals the role of population mixture in cultural transformation. Nature Communications. 9 (1): 3336.

* Dr. Tomkins is Director of Life Sciences at the Institute for Creation Research and earned his Ph.D. in genetics from Clemson University.

Cite this article: Jeffrey P. Tomkins, Ph.D. 2019. Are Blue Eyes in Humans a Mutation?. Acts & Facts. 48 (9).

The Latest
NEWS
The Origin of Eukaryotes
Eukaryotes are multicellular organisms that contain diverse differentiated cell types. Within almost every cell there are subcellular compartments called...

CREATION PODCAST
Water vs. Wind: The Controversial Coconino | The Creation Podcast:...
Welcome to the sixth episode in a series called “The Failures of Old Earth Creationism.” Many Christians attempt to fit old...

NEWS
Fossil Fish Finally Filmed
The bizarre lobe-finned coelacanth (Latimeria chalumnae) “that flourished some 350 million years ago”1 continues to be a thorn...

NEWS
The Mosasaur: A Giant Sea Dragon
Mosasaurs (order Squamata) were massive marine lizards that were common in the pre-Flood oceans. Therefore, it is not surprising that their fossils...

DAYS OF PRAISE DEVOTIONALS
Summer 2025
...

NEWS
Was Life Detected on a Distant Planet?
There was celebration, albeit briefly, for the discovery of potential life on a planet called K2-18b, which is 124 lightyears away from Earth. The...

NEWS
Ichthyosaur Graveyard Explained by the Flood
Ichthyosaurs are marine reptiles that occur globally in the same rock layers as dinosaurs. Specimens with babies support the idea that they gave live...

CREATION PODCAST
What Do We Do With Geology's Unconforming Features? | The Creation...
Welcome to the fifth episode in a series called “The Failures of Old Earth Creationism.” Many Christians attempt to fit old...

NEWS
Freshwater Fish Fossil in Australia
Yet another fish fossil has been discovered. This one was found in the Australian desert and was dated by evolutionists to be “15 million years...

NEWS
May 2025 ICR Wallpaper
"Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." (Romans...