Brown? Blue? Or green?

Most humans have eyes that fall into one of these general color categories. But if you look closely, you’ll notice lots of variegation (see definition below).

What is it that determines our eye color? Several genes that we inherit are responsible, but it’s a complex process.

At one time, it was thought that brown-eyed people had dominant genes and would always produce offspring with the same eye color. But scientists now know that’s not true.

If both your parents have brown eyes, you can still end up with blue eyes, for example.

Several genes control production of a pigment known as melanin. It is stored in the iris of each eye and determines the color of your eyes. Light-colored eyes have less melanin than dark-colored eyes.

So the next time you gaze into someone’s eyes, it’s worth noting the true color!

Cool word question of the day: What benefits are offered by the variegation of eye color and other individual features?

VARIEGATION: The state of being varied in colors, diversified.