Blue eyes? New kid on the (genetic) block

Genetic research is uncovering all sorts of cool things. For instance, did you know that nobody in the entire human race had blue eyes as recently as ten thousand years ago?

The University of Wisconsin press release adds some interesting observations from UW anthropologist John Hawks. To wit:

The findings may lead to a very broad rethinking of human evolution, Hawks says, especially in the view that modern culture has essentially relaxed the need for physical genetic changes in humans to improve survival. Adds Hawks: "We are more different genetically from people living 5,000 years ago than they were different from Neanderthals."

Humans alive today are as different from people living 5,000 years ago as they were from Neanderthals?! Fascinating.