Ally+S.

= Eye Color =

__Eye Color and Parents__
Everyone carries two copies of each of their genes, one from each parent. A gene often comes in twos (like a gene for eye color that makes eyes brown or blue). Someone can have two copies of the gene with the same(brown-brown), or two copies of different(brown-blue). Human eye color is controlled by at least three genes, though we only understand two of them well. Deep inside the nucleus of your body’s cells are 46 chromosomes, divided into 23 pairs. When you were conceived, you inherited one chromosomes from each parent to make each pair of your chromosomes. Chromosomes are comprised of pieces of DNA called genes. These genes, which also come in pairs, determine many of your characteristics you will develop. Scientists believe that as many as 16 different genes could play a role in determining eye color. The two main genes believed to be responsible are OCA2 and HERC2, both of which are part of chromosomes 15.



__What is OCA2, HERC2 and Chromosome 15? __
**OCA2:**(Oculocutaneous Albinism II) is a Protein Coding gene. Diseases associated with **OCA2** include albinism, oculocutaneous, type ii and glut1 deficiency syndrome 1. GO annotations related to this gene include transporter activity and L-tyrosine transmembrane transporter activity.

**HERC2:** (HECT And RLD Domain Containing E3 Ubiquitin Protein Ligase 2) is a Protein Coding gene. Diseases associated with HERC2 include developmental delay with autism spectrum disorder and gait instability and mental retardation, autosomal recessive 38.

**Chromosome 15** is one of the 23 pairs of chromosomes in humans. People normally have two copies of this chromosome. Chromosome 15 spans about 101 million base pairs (the building material of DNA) and represents between 3% and 3.5% of the total DNA in cells. media type="youtube" key="FOiV6pUF6lI" width="560" height="315" align="center"

__More About Eye Color...__
Eye color come from pigmentation in the iris. The color of the iris ranges from very light blue to very dark brown. Normally eye color is categorized as blue, green, hazel, or brown. Brown is actually the most frequently common eye color worldwide. Lighter eye colors, such as blue and green, are found pretty much exclusively to people with European ancestry.

Eye color is determined by variations in the genes. Most of the genes related to eye color are involved in the production, transport, and or storage of melanin. Eye color is directly related to the amount and quality of melanin in the front layers of the iris. People with brown eyes have a large amount of melanin in the iris, and people with blue eyes have less of this pigment.

Further Reading:
http://www.allaboutvision.com/conditions/eye-color.htm

http://www.allaboutvision.com/conditions/eye-color.htm

http://www.eyedoctorguide.com/eye_general/eye_color_genetics.html

References:
https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/primer/traits/eyecolor

http://www.athro.com/evo/inherit.html

http://wonderopolis.org/wonder/what-determines-the-color-of-your-eyes/

https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/chromosome/15

Scientific Journal Articles for Further Reading Listed on one of the Websites:
Sturm RA, Larsson M. Genetics of human iris colour and patterns. Pigment Cell Melanoma Res. 2009 Oct;22(5):544-62. doi: 10.1111/j.1755-148X.2009.00606.x. Epub 2009 Jul 8. Review. PubMed: 19619260.

White D, Rabago-Smith M. Genotype-phenotype associations and human eye color. J Hum Genet. 2011 Jan;56(1):5-7. doi: 10.1038/jhg.2010.126. Epub 2010 Oct 14. Review. PubMed: 20944644

= The Evolution of Whales =



When you think of the ocean, you probably think of sharks, dolphins, fish and many other creatures. When I think of the ocean I think of whales. What I don't think about is how this large animal was once an animal that could be found on land rather then in the water. Although they were not the large size they are now on land they were still fairly big. It's amazing to think that over the course of 50 million years an animal can evolve so much that it no longer walks on land. In fact it no longer even has legs to walk on land. To the average person this knowledge wouldn't be thought about. They would assume whales have always been creatures of the sea. This wiki post will inform you that, that just isn't the case.



The first whales evolved over 50 million years ago, and the ancestor of this group was terrestrial. The first whales, such as Pakicetus, were commonly land animals. They had long skulls and large carnivorous teeth. They don't look much like whales at all on the outside. However, their skulls in the ear region, which are surrounded by a bony wall, resemble those of living whales and are unlike those of any other mammal.



Compared to other early whales, like Indohyus and Pakicetus, Ambulocetus looks like it lived a more aquatic lifestyle. Its legs are shorter, and its hands and feet are enlarged like paddles. Its tail is longer and more muscular, too. The hypothesis that Ambulocetus lived an aquatic life is supported evidence from stratigraphy. Ambulocetus's fossils were recovered and from the isotopes of oxygen in its bones showed proof. When you say "you are what you eat," that's not exactly wrong with animals they actually are what they eat and drink, and saltwater and freshwater have different ratios of oxygen isotopes. Meaning that you can learn about what sort of water an animal drank by studying the isotopes that were incorporated into its bones and teeth as it grew. The isotopes show that Ambulocetus likely drank both saltwater and freshwater, which fits perfectly with the idea that these animals lived in estuaries.

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On a slightly off topic note although whales swim in the sea and superficially look like fish, they are not. Whales are mammals like us; they suckle their young, give birth to live young and even have hair. This is another example though of how whales have evolved from creatures that once lived on land.




 * Further Reading: **

http://www.indiana.edu/~ensiweb/lessons/whale.ev.html

http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/tdc02.sci.life.evo.whalesinmaking/whales-in-the-making/

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/educators/teachstuds/unit3.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/sci/tech/1553008.stm


 * References: **

http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/evograms_03

http://ocean.si.edu/ocean-videos/evolution-whales-animation9

http://spiritualtranzendence.blogspot.ca/2011_04_01_archive.html

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/ist/?next=/science-nature/how-did-whales-evolve-73276956/