Scientists have revealed that there's a new rarest eye color on the block, taking the crown from green.
We're all familiar with someone who has nice eyes, right?
But what is it about someone's eyes that makes them more striking than others and pleasing to look at?
Well, usually it's to do with the color as people with piercing blue or green eyes usually get more compliments than those with brown for example.
Well, if you're a green-eyed person who has been bragging about having the rarest eye color, it might be time to think again.
Historically, the four primary eye colors are brown, blue, hazel, and green.
Green eyes, in particular, have long been considered the rarest, with only about 2 percent of the global population possessing this eye color.
This rarity allowed green-eyed individuals to claim a unique status over those with blue, brown, or hazel eyes.
However, recent scientific findings have introduced a new contender to the rarest eye color category.
Scientists now recognize gray as the rarest eye color, surpassing green in rarity, per VeryWellHealth.
Scientists' updated definitions now categorize gray eyes as a separate color distinct from blue.
Previously, gray eyes were considered a subset of blue. This reclassification has shifted the hierarchy of eye color rarity.
So, how common are the various eye colors? According to VeryWell Health, brown eyes are by far the most prevalent, comprising 55 to 79 percent of the global population.
Blue eyes follow, making up 8 to 10 percent, similar to hazel eyes, which account for 10 percent of the population and trace back to a common ancestor.
In the United States, blue eyes are more common (27 percent) than hazel (18 percent).
Gray eyes, newly separated from the blue category, are the rarest.
They constitute less than 1 percent of both the U.S. and global populations.
Gray and blue eyes are often mistaken for each other due to their low melanin content and similar light absorption properties.
As per VeryWellHealth, eye color is influenced by the production of melanin, the pigment in the iris. Higher melanin levels result in darker eyes, while lower levels lead to lighter eyes.
The specific hue of the eyes is determined by different types of melanin. Eumelanin, a black-brown pigment, is responsible for darker eyes, hair, and skin.
Pheomelanin, a yellow-red pigment, contributes to green or amber eyes, red hair, and freckles.
Geographical location also plays a role in eye color. People in regions farther from the equator typically have lighter-colored eyes and skin, whereas those in warmer, equatorial areas generally have darker eyes and skin.
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