Surely you have noticed this characteristic that particularly defines Asians, the narrowed eyes, as they say, or torn, a curiosity, no doubt, in which we all look, but why do Asians have the slanted eyes? Have you asked yourself this question? We at Science Daily Online were questioning this not so long ago, and as a result we decided to thoroughly investigate this issue to get to the origin of the matter.Do you want to find out why Asians have slanted eyes? Then you continue reading this article so you can find out everything about it.
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Why do Asians have slanted eyes?
To begin with, we have to tell you that it is not usually called slanted or slanted eyes.That physical characteristic that differentiates, mainly, people of Asian origin from those of Western origin receives the name of 'Mongolian flange', 'epicanthus' or 'epicanthal fold'. It is a fold of the upper eyelid that covers the inner corner of the eye , covering the lacrimal caruncula and extending downwards joining with the skin of the face.
For a long time the belief spread that the narrowed or torn eyes were due to the bony structure that contains the eyeball had an almond shape in people of origin Asian: In parallel, it was said that the same eyeball of these people had this shape and was not spherical , like that of the Westerners.But these theories, the truth, did not gain greater force, for lack of scientific verification.
In any case, even without the approval of the scientific community, this was the theory that most expanded in popular knowledge , to the point where, at present, it seems to be the more known.Is it true? And, if not, then why do Asians have slanted eyes? What is the fundamental difference between your eyes and ours? Is there any important anatomical difference? Let's find out.
1.The anatomy of the eye
To begin, we have to clarify that it is false that the Chinese have the eyeball unlike any other person. Within the human species, in fact, anatomically speaking, we cannot find any difference between each other's eyes, beyond the color of the iris. Or at least It occurs in people with a regular anatomy.The truth is that, as far as the eye is concerned, we all present the same elements, with the same size and, obviously, in the same place.Only the pigmentation of the iris is what It can vary, presenting different colors, blue, brown, green, although never black, and there are even cases in which both eyes of the same person can have different colors.ntos, what is called heterochromia.And even today there are methods to change the color of the eyes.
By the way, did you know that the human iris has no blue or green pigments?
The color of the iris is something that can also depend on the breed, although today, in a society as mixed as ours, it is a distinction that has almost lost its meaning.However, it is still quite common to find a predominant iris pigmentation in some regions , which is nothing abnormal However, the eyes of Asians are still quite particular, because Asians have slanted eyes.Well, the quid of the matter is not really in the eye, but in the eyelid : That is where the fundamental difference lies between those who have slanted eyes and those who do not.
Now, it is important to clarify that, since there is no difference in the eyeball, it would be absurd to assume that Asians see differently from us, as some theories, without major scientific basis, affirm. The globe is, in essence, the same, and the vision too. Clarified this, it is possible to maintain the doubt: what makes Asian eyes so particular ? And why do Asians have slanted eyes, what made them go like this? Let's find out.
2.Asian eyes
The truth is that the Mongolian flange, as it is called, It seems to have its origin in an adaptive need for both intense light and extreme cold as well as strong winds , depending on the place where it occurred.On the one hand, this genetic mutation allowed different groups of homo sapiens that arrived in artistic zones acquired an evolutionary advantage to be able to adapt and survive extreme conditions of cold and permanent snow.On the other hand, the groups of sapiens settled in warm areas of savannah and desert, they would also develop this mutation in order to protect their eyes from the strong winds and sandstorms of these zones.With regard to torn eyes, this seems to be the most plausible theory.
However, a group of Chinese specialists argue that the Mongolian flange is a consequence of the different evolutionary branch of these individuals who, they claim, they come from a branch of hominids different from that of Westerners: the Homo Erectus Pekinensis . However, this theory is rejected by most contemporary anthropologists , who claim that only the African Homo Erectus survived the evolution, later becoming the Homo Sapiens .Also, it is also ruled out by the fact that the slanted eyes are not an exclusive feature of Asians, although we commonly identify her with them.
Why do Asians have slanted eyes, then? Well, well, in Darwin's words, because the one who survives is not the strongest, but the one who best adapts: probably a few thousand years ago, the Asians generated this characteristic, or, rather, some of they generated this characteristic, and just these were the ones that were more likely to reproduce and survive , given that this mutation generated them an advantage over others, and, therefore, they managed to perpetuate their genes.Thus, this characteristic was perpetuated, and although it is not fundamental for them today, they have preserved it.
3.We were all Chinese sometime
The truth is that this feature is not too alien to us either. The truth is that we were all Chinese once or, rather, we all developed the Mongolian flange at some point of our lives. And then, why do Asians have slanted eyes and we don't? How do you explain that?
Well, in the West, although we all develop the slanted eyes, we do it only while we are in the womb.However, this characteristic is often lost with development of the embryo, between the third and sixth month of pregnancy , which is why, once we were born, we did not find out that we were once as Asian as the one we have, at least as far as eyes are concerned.
4.Other torn eyes
But now, one moment, the thing is not only there.It turns out that although the eyes are torn It is a characteristic that usually defines Asians quite a bit, understand Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, among others, it is not a unique or exclusive characteristic of them.In fact, the torn eyes are m Frequent of what is believed, and found not only in Asia , but also in some parts of the Nordic countries, for example, also in America (especially in Native Americans, as they are usually called, or indigenous), going through the Eskimos and basically, in any corner of the earth, although nowhere as often as in Asia.
It is precisely this fact, the fact that this feature is so widespread in the world (and not only because the world today is interconnected or by cultural hodgepodge, but because the trait appeared in different cultures), which gives experts to think that Asians do not come from Homo Erectus Pekinensis, but this trait was generated with the pure advance of evolution human, for the sheer need for survival. Although, at the end of the day, they are only theories that scientists debate, some with greater acceptance and others with less consistency, but none clearly definitive, at least until now.
And what do we believe then? Why do Asians have slanted eyes? Well, we are inclined to think what scientific evidence indicates, without this meaning an absolute certainty about it. After all, there is always the possibility of doubting, because science is the one that can best approximate us to the reality, but this does not mean that it is free of error. But, at least until there is more information about it, we will tell you that the most likely thesis is this.
Well, until here We leave our article about why Asians have slanted eyes.We hope we have helped you solve your doubts.Do you have anything to add to this article? Do you know of any other particularity of the slanted eyes? Well, write us through the comments, in Science Daily Online we believe that nothing enriches knowledge like debate, always in an environment of healthy respect, so we encourage you to do so, we will be willing to read you!
If you liked this article you might also be interested: The secret of the gray eyes, Optograms and Optography and Curiosities of the eyes.
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