Latest news with #Buton
Time of India
06-05-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Why do the people of this tribe have sparkling blue eyes
Where do people exceptionally possess blue eyes? What causes the change in the colour of eyes? Time and again, some facial features have been an attraction across cultures, like sparkling eyes, glowing skin, or thick hair. Blue eyes , in particular, have a near-mythical status, as they are often romanticised in songs, films, and poetry. In places like Bollywood, lyrics praising the charm of "neeli aankhen' are instantly adored. But what if a trait admired by the world comes not from lineage or chance, but from a rare genetic condition ?While blue eyes are globally rare, found in only a small percentage of the population, there's one place where they're surprisingly common, and that too in an eastern country on the Buton Island , located in Indonesia's Sulawesi province, an entire community seems to have been touched by a genetic miracle. Here, many members of the Buton tribe possess naturally vivid blue eyes that are so intense and bright that they often stop people in their tracks and give a mythical behind these magical eyes lies a deeper story of genetics, health complications, and the reality of living with a rare condition. These blue eyes are not just a symbol of inheritance, they are the result of a rare disorder, which carries challenges that go beyond first glance, the blue-eyed residents of Buton Island in Indonesiaseem to carry a rare and beautiful trait. Their trait of having luminous eyes stand out in a region where darker eye colours are the 'normal'. But this beauty comes with a hidden cost. These residents are part of the Buton tribe, and their unusual eye colour is linked to a rare genetic disorder known as Waardenburg Syndrome .Waardenburg Syndrome is an inherited condition that affects roughly 1 in 42,000 people. While it causes blue eyes and sometimes even one blue and one brown eye, it can also result in several health complications. These include hearing loss, changes in pigmentation of the skin and hair, and sometimes white patches on the blue eyes seen in the Buton tribe are the result of a mutation that occurs during fetal development, affecting melanocytes, the cells responsible for pigment. While the eyes may appear dazzling, the underlying syndrome affects more than just colour. In fact, people with Waardenburg Syndrome often face challenges with partial or complete hearing loss due to abnormalities in the inner these challenges, the tribe continues to live its traditional life on the island. The condition is not curable, but supportive therapies like hearing aids and early diagnosis can help manage its social media, the photographs of blue-eyed Buton children have gone viral. But experts remind us not to reduce their condition to a visual marvel. As beautiful as these eyes may be, the disorder is serious and deserves medical awareness and Syndrome isn't contagious and doesn't affect intelligence or life span, but early intervention can make a significant difference in quality of life. Many families on the island remain unaware of the exact cause of their condition due to lack of access to medical resources and genetic counseling.
Miami Herald
30-04-2025
- Science
- Miami Herald
Armless forest creature found in trap in Indonesia turns out to be a new species
On an island of southeastern Indonesia, scientists dug a hole in the forest and installed a wildlife trap. A while later, they checked the trap and found an armless creature caught inside. They didn't know it right away, but they'd just discovered a new species. Researchers spent 'over 13 years' installing and regularly checking wildlife traps on Buton Island. The nonlethal pitfall traps were dug into the ground and intended to catch insects, invertebrates and other burrowing animals, according to a study published April 25 in the peer-reviewed journal Taprobanica. During the project, researchers found dozens of 'worm-like' lizards that had fallen into the traps, the study said. A few of these lizards were kept as specimens, preserved and sent to a museum. Initially, scientists identified the animals as a widespread species of blind skink, an 'ancient' type of 'limbless burrowing' reptile. Years later, researchers decided to take a closer look at these little-studied lizards. Sure enough, the skinks from Buton Island were subtly but consistently different, the study said. Researchers realized they'd discovered a new species: Dibamus oetamai, or the Buton blind skink. Buton blind skinks can reach just over 6 inches in length, the study said. They have 'worm-like' bodies with no arms and, in males, 'flap-like' legs. Their heads have 'eyes covered by a scale,' 'small' teeth and 'rounded' snouts. A photo shows the 'pale-chestnut brown' coloring of the new species. Buton blind skinks are burrowing animals, living in 'monsoonal rainforests,' the study said. They are 'either rare or highly cryptic,' because 'only 28' of the skinks were found in 'over 70,000 pitfall trap nights.' Much about their lifestyle remains unknown. Researchers said they named the new species 'oetamai' after the late Jakob Oetama, 'a renowned journalist and the co-founder of Kompas Gramedia ― the largest media group in Indonesia, for his enormous contribution to Indonesian Journalism.' The new species' common name refers to Buton Island where it was discovered and, so far, the only place where it has been found. Buton Island is in southeastern Indonesia and near Sulawesi Island. The new species was identified by its body shape, size, scale pattern and coloring, the study said. Researchers did not provide a DNA analysis because of a lack of genetic data on blind skinks. The research team included M. Dwi Prasetyo, D. Satria Yudha, A. A. Thasun Amarasinghe, Ivan Ineich, G. R. Gillespie and Awal Riyanto.
