All blue-eyed individuals share a unique trait beyond their eye color. Blue eyes are the second most common eye color globally, with their origin traced back to a genetic mutation occurring around 6,000 to 10,000 years ago.

This widespread iris hue emerged because, originally, all humans had brown eyes in varying shades. But blue-eyed people have more intriguing attributes beyond this fascinating history.

For instance, people with blue eyes tend to be more sensitive to light. According to Auckland Eye, having more melanin in the iris offers greater protection against UV rays and blue light damage. Consequently, blue-eyed individuals, who have less melanin, often experience photophobia—an abnormal sensitivity to light.

Yet, having blue eyes comes with its own set of advantages. Joanna Rowe, a professor at Louisville University, discovered in her studies that individuals with blue eyes might be better strategic thinkers, a finding highlighted by the Daily Mail.

The professor noted, “It is just observed rather than explained. There’s no scientific answer yet.” Indeed, several brilliant minds among celebrities have blue eyes, such as Stephen Hawking, Alexander Fleming, and Marie Curie.

But perhaps the most intriguing fact about blue-eyed people is linked to a surprising commonality among them, leaving many astonished.

One person mused, “I had no idea! Fascinating…”

Another humorously pointed out, “Spoiler alert: all their eyes are blue.”

Researchers have identified a gene called HERC2 responsible for blue eyes. This gene switches off OCA2, which provides brown eyes in varying degrees, by determining melanin levels.

Professor Hans Eiberg from the University of Copenhagen’s Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine explains, “Originally, we all had brown eyes. But a genetic mutation affecting the OCA2 gene in our chromosomes led to the development of a ‘switch’ that literally ‘turned off’ the ability to produce brown eyes.”

This trait is believed to have emerged when humans originally migrated from Africa to Europe, as detailed by The Independent.

The University of Copenhagen study suggests that all blue-eyed people might be descendants of a single individual.

Although the identity of the person who first carried this mutation remains a mystery, the presence of this genetic trait in every blue-eyed person is compelling evidence.

Professor Eiberg adds in the report that research into the genetic mutation of blue-eyed individuals “simply shows that nature is constantly shuffling the human genome, creating a genetic cocktail of human chromosomes and trying out different changes as it does so.”