Black baby girl with blue eyes8/12/2023 ![]() And it seems that it is Nmachi's almost Scandinavian colouring that is baffling them.Īs Professor Bryan Sykes, head of Human Genetics at Oxford University and Britain's leading expert, puts it: 'The hair is extremely unusual. It is not unheard of for a white or black couple to produce a child of a seemingly different race - with a rogue light-skinned gene, perhaps generations back, being responsible.Įxperts say that, in this extreme case, there would have to be history of white ancestry on both sides. It has long been recognised that the laws of genetics dictate that every so often a genetic quirk can result in a child's skin-tone being different to his or her parents. She's beautiful and healthy, and that's what is important.' 'And quite honestly, at the end of the day it doesn't matter whether she is white or black or red or green. ![]() Perhaps God made her like this for a reason. But another part of me thinks that it doesn't matter. Part of me wants to know what's happened here, to have an answer to tell Nmachi when she gets older. No one in the family is aware of any white blood at all, and I don't really know how you go about looking any further. His own family history may be about to come under scrutiny, too. Ben admits himself that he is no expert in genetics - 'I knew that it wasn't as simple as putting A with B and making C, but beyond that, not really' - but he may be about to become one. The blue eyes, however, would be highly unusual.įrankly, the family are baffled. Professor Ian Jackson, an expert in melanocytes - cells that produce pigment - at the British Medical Research Council's Human Genetics Unit, points out that in type 2 cases, creamy skin and yellow hair are possible. ![]() Now there is some debate, however, with at least one leading scientist arguing that there are four different types of albinism, all of which allow different levels of colouring to develop. I don't know if we'll ever know why.'ĭoctors at Queen Mary Hospital in Sidcup in Kent, where Nmachi was born, immediately ruled out albinism, which would have been the most likely explanation.Īlbinos generally have a complete absence of pigment, with pink eyes. Outside the delivery room, when the reality was just settling in I remember thinking: "Someone will be able to explain this to us." But it hasn't happened yet. 'Everyone wants to know how a couple as black as us can produce a baby as white as this. For the past week, since news of her arrival broke, the scientific community has been scratching its head.Īs he gazes on his baby daughter, Ben sums up the dilemma the family finds itself in. in genetic terms, she is indeed most unusual - if not unheard of. It seems that Nmachi might be one of the few who truly deserves the title. Those friends and relatives popping in to welcome the new arrival can be forgiven for hesitating over that traditional conversation: Who does she look like? in truth, the only name that comes to mind when you look at the little girl is Boris Johnson (although it hardly needs pointing out that the distinctive features are a million times cuter in a baby girl). Little Nmachi, who is just two weeks old, is about as white as you can get - and with piercing blue eyes and a shock of the blondest hair to boot. Genetic riddle: Nmachi with her parents Ben and Angelaīoth Angela and Ben are black, of Nigerian stock, with dark brown eyes and dark hair.
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