Maria Collini, age 10, of St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, for her question:

WHY DO PEOPLE HAVE EYES OF DIFFERENT COLORS?

Color of your eyes is something you receive from your parents and their parents before them. It is strictly an inherited characteristic.

The area of the eye where color is located is .called the iris. If the tissue here has many pigment cells, the person will have black eyes. If there are slightly fewer pigment cells, the person's eyes will be brown or gray. If there are very few pigment cells or none at all, the eyes will be blue.

The iris has one set of muscles used to narrow the pupil, or opening, in the center of the iris. It has another set which opens the pupil. When you look at a near object or a bright light, the pupil narrows and    it widens when looking at distant objects or if the light is dull.