eye color
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AI overview
Eye color is a visible trait controlled by multiple genes working together, which is why it varies so widely among people and doesn't follow simple inheritance patterns. It matters because it's one of the most noticeable features that distinguishes individuals and has been studied to understand how complex traits are passed down through families.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Article
The irises of human eyes exhibit a wide spectrum of colours Eye color is a polygenic phenotypic trait determined by two factors: the pigmentation of the eye's iris and the frequency-dependence of the scattering of light by the turbid medium in the stroma of the iris.
In humans, the pigmentation of the iris varies from light brown to black, depending on the concentration of melanin in the iris pigment epithelium (located on the back of the iris), the melanin content within the iris stroma (located at the front of the iris), and the cellular density of the stroma. The appearance of blue, green, and hazel eyes results from the Tyndall scattering of light in the stroma, a phenomenon similar to Rayleigh scattering which accounts for the blue sky. Neither blue nor green pigments are present in the human iris or vitreous humour. This is an example of structural color, which depends on the lighting conditions, especially for lighter-colored eyes.