Which human eye colour is believed to be a mutation that occurred 6,000 to 10,000 years ago?

In 2008, a study led by Hans Eiberg from the University of Copenhagen claimed that all blue eyes link back to a single ancestor who lived between 6,000 and 10,000 years ago. The concept has continually cropped up in news stories and social media posts over the 15 years since the paper was released. Simply put, we remain enamored.

The research shows that the OCA2 gene codes play a key role in the production of melanin, the pigment that colors hair, skin, and eyes. Eiberg's theory is that a mutation occurred between 6,000 and 10,000 years ago that switched on the ability for the gene to dilute brown eyes to blue.