What Is Our Eye Color Made Of?
Eye colors in humans are determined by the amount of pigment in the iris. A large number of variations are available, including shades of standard colors like brown and blue.
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Basics
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Eye color in humans is determined by the total amount of light that reflects off of the iris.The range in eye color depends on the amount of a pigment called melanin that is stored in the melanocytes, specialized cells, inside the iris.
Melanin
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Melanin is produced by specialized cells known as melanocytes, and while every human has a roughly equivalent number of melanocytes, the level of melanin inside each melanocyte varies, producing a variation in the amount of pigment in each human's iris. Melanin is also the pigment that determines hair and skin color.
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Melanin concentrations
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Scientists have discovered that blue eyes have the least amount of melanin, green-hazel eyes have a medium amount of melanin, and brown eyes have the highest concentration of melanin. Also, eye colors other than brown exist only in individuals with some European ancestry.
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