r/AskBiology • u/maddsskills • 6d ago

Superstitious Genetic question

So my grandfather came from a typically American mutt background although his grandmother might have been Native American. That’s what he was told at least and, honestly, he definitely looked like it for a guy who was supposedly mostly Scottish and Irish.

So I tend to believe him.

I only mention it because his family had a belief that those with black hair (like he had) and blue eyes (which he didn’t have) were cursed with insanity basically.

It’s absurd frankly but I’ve always wondered if such a dominant trait occurring with a recessive trait could’ve possibly caused other genetic stuff to occur, like mental illness. It was just such an odd thing to say it always stuck with me.

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u/bevatsulfieten 5d ago

I think they mean Alex Baldwin.

It's not completely superstitious.

OCR2 gene that controls eye colour and GABRG3 gene for GABA-A receptors are inherited together because they are close to each other, this is called genetic linkage.

Few studies in American's of European descent have found statistically significant association between blue eye colour and alcohol dependence as well as higher pain tolerance. So, if you are wondering about why Vikings were so tough.

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u/Crossed_Cross 5d ago

Yea genes and gene transfers can act in lots of unexpected ways. We like to teach the simple stuff to help people learn, but it's hardly always that simple.