Whether for aesthetic reasons or because of a cultural burden, blue eyes have been a source of astonishment and even a trait of beauty, so much so that this eye color has been the subject of various analyses and studies. Although most of the world’s population has brown eyes – in fact, initially everyone did – science has found that those who share blue eyes have a common ancestor. And this Indonesian tribe is no different.
Waardenburg syndrome is responsible for this tribe in Indonesia having such vibrant blue eyes… and that some of its members are even born with one blue and one brown color. It is a hereditary syndrome that affects 1 in every 42 thousand people. This is caused by a mutation in certain genes that, in addition to electric blue eyes, can also cause hearing problems, streaks of white hair, constipation, and, in the most serious cases, congenital deformations.
