(Not-So-) Wordless Wednesday: GEDmatch Eye Color Prediction - Mom

Did you know that if you upload DNA test results to GEDmatch, you can use an eye color prediction tool on their site?

According to the site, the eye color predictor works best with DNA results from 23andMe.  In addition, the utility "used samples from the GEDmatch database which consists mostly of European descendants. As such, it will be less accurate for other ancestries."

So, knowing this in advance, I ran the predictor on my mom's DNA test results.  I did her autosomal test with Ancestry.com, then uploaded the raw data to FamilyTree DNA, and then ran a separate mitochondrial test on a new sample there. I'm not sure if this predictor uses autosomal or mitochondrial DNA or both.

Mom is of mostly European extraction.  Here is the result:

The results page also provides the following information:

"Read rules from top to bottom. In some cases, a rule cancels out results from rules above it.

CT at: rs17762363 - Increased melanin production. Adds yellow, amber, or brown. Some darkening. Contributes to brown.
CC at: rs3794604 - Blocks some melanin. Often gives light colored eyes.
GG at: rs7174027 - Blocks some melanin. Often gives light colored eyes.
CC at: rs4778241 - Low Melanin. Basis for Gray, Blue, Green, or Yellow Eyes if no other pigmentation is present.
CT at: rs3947367 - Contrasting sphincter around pupil.
TT at: rs1129038 - Penetrance modifier. Blue.
GT at: rs1470608 - Medium melanin on Anterior Epithelium. Gives dark eyes.
AG at: rs11634406 - Flecks (Nevi).

8 rules were used to make this prediction. There are 61 active rules in our evaluation model, utilizing 41 SNPs.

Please note that your FTDNA Illumina results do not contain many of the SNPs used by this utility, and therefore a considerable amount of accuracy is lost."

And here is my mom's eye in a photograph from February 2017:

Another picture of her eye, this time from Thanksgiving Day, 2016.  I don't have any color photos that clearly show her eyes from her younger days.

The website asks you to rate the accuracy of the prediction.  Here are the choices:

• It's exactly right.
• Color is correct. It missed one or two tiny details, but it's very close.
• Came close on the color(s), and got a lot of the details.
• Got some of the colors in my eye, but missed a lot of details.
• The color is not exactly close, but it's not a complete miss either.
• The prediction missed the color completely, but it picked up a few other details.
• Completely wrong. The color's not even close.

So what do you think?  Let me know in the comments!  I'm thinking this one is pretty close.


© Amanda Pape - 2017 - click here to e-mail me.