Blue eyes are rare in mammals; one example is the quite recently-discovered Blue-eyed Spotted Cuscus (Spilocuscus wilsoni). The trait is hitherto known only from a single primate other than humans – Sclater’s Lemur (Eulemur flavifrons) of Madagascar. While some cats and dogs have blue eyes, this is usually due to another mutation which is associated with deafness. But in cats alone, there are three known mutations which produce blue eyes – the one found in Siamese cats does not have adverse health effects, while the others

As with any other species, human populations are shaped by the usual forces of natural selection, like famine, disease or climate. A new force is now coming into focus. It is one with a surprising implication — that for the last 20,000 years or so, people have inadvertently been shaping their own evolution.

New York Times

A team of Spanish and Portuguese researchers has carried out molecular genetic analysis of the Y chromosome (transmitted only by males) of the aboriginal population of the Canary Islands to determine their origin and the extent to which they have survived in the current population. The results suggest a North African origin for these paternal lineages which, unlike maternal lineages, have declined to the point of being practically replaced today by European lineages.

ScienceDaily

Human migration from Asia to the Americas occurred in three stages, with a 20,000-year layover on the frozen strip of land called Beringia in what is now the Bering Strait, researchers said this week.

Most scientists had believed that the migration occurred in one continuous passage, but archaeological and genetic evidence indicates otherwise, anthropologist Connie Mulligan of the University of Florida and her colleagues reported Wednesday in the online journal PLoS ONE.

Los Angeles Times

A team of scientists has tracked down a genetic mutation that leads to blue eyes. The mutation occurred between 6,000 and 10,000 years ago, so before then, there were no blue eyes.

MSNBC

Archaeology Story