ODDSPRIG — EYE, GENES AND SOURCES Research record v0.1.0 | Reviewed September 22, 2026 PURPOSE Build a generation machine whose outputs form a library. Descriptions and optional gene references become editable 3D assets, recipes and cited biological rationales. This file summarizes current coverage, not everything science knows about eyes. ANATOMY AND APPEARANCE Sclera: outer supporting coat. Iris: tissue around the pupil. Pupil: an aperture, not a black tissue disc. Cornea: transparent curved front surface. Lens, retina, optic nerve, eyelids and visual processing are not yet modeled. [anatomy] Iris appearance depends on pigment, tissue structure and lighting. Eye color is not a universal single-gene trait. Pupil dilation is physiological; pupil shape has species and ecological context. [eye-color, pupils2015] GENES COVERED HERC2 — Homo sapiens | rs12913832 A regulatory region inside HERC2 can influence transcription of the nearby OCA2 gene. In the studied human melanocytes, the T allele supported stronger enhancer–promoter contact and higher OCA2 expression than C. These are the paper’s T/C allele labels. Generator: Illustrated in Eye Lab. One regulatory example cannot predict the combined effect of a person’s variants. T/C notation here must not be mixed with A/G reports without strand conversion. Sources: visser2012, eye-color OCA2 — Homo sapiens | No specific variant mapped Encodes a melanosomal protein involved in pigmentation. OCA2 supports melanin production. Its expression is influenced by regulatory elements, including the studied HERC2 region. Generator: Pathway context. This generator does not convert an OCA2 expression measurement or variant into a calibrated amount of iris pigment. Sources: oca2, visser2012 IRF4 — Homo sapiens | rs12203592 A transcription factor involved in a melanocyte regulatory pathway that influences TYR. The T allele reduces enhancer activity and IRF4 expression in the studied pigmentation pathway; IRF4 cooperates with MITF to regulate TYR. Generator: Illustrated in Eye Lab. No combined HERC2 + IRF4 prediction is implemented. Effects depend on tissue and genetic context. Sources: praetorius2013, eye-color TYR — Homo sapiens | No specific variant mapped Encodes tyrosinase, an enzyme used in early steps of melanin production. Tyrosinase activity is necessary for normal melanin synthesis. Generator: Reference only. Variants can have health effects beyond color. No specific TYR variant is simulated. Sources: tyr, praetorius2013 MITF — Homo sapiens | No specific variant mapped A transcription factor involved in pigment-cell development and function, including melanin pathways. MITF regulates other genes in pigment cells and has roles in the retinal pigment epithelium. Generator: Reference only. MITF is not an independent iris-pattern or color dial. No variant or dosage is mapped to mesh parameters. Sources: mitf, visser2012, praetorius2013 PAX6 — Homo sapiens | No specific variant mapped A transcription factor required for aspects of eye development, with roles in other organs too. Disrupted PAX6 function can affect the iris and multiple other eye structures. Generator: Reference only. A PAX6 slider would imply an unsupported shape prediction. The generator does not model embryonic development or pathogenic variants. Sources: pax6 SIX3 — Homo sapiens | No specific variant mapped A transcription factor involved in early forebrain and eye development. SIX3 helps regulate developmental programs involved in structures including the lens and retina. Generator: Reference only. Changing a developmental regulator is not equivalent to safely selecting a finished eye shape. No SIX3 variant is simulated. Sources: six3 KIT — Felis catus | FERV1 insertions at the W locus A gene involved in melanocyte biology; regulatory-region insertions are associated with dominant white and white spotting in domestic cats. The studied KIT insertion states were associated with dominant white/blue iris or white spotting, depending on the insertion. Generator: Cited concept. Not all blue cat eyes have this cause. The generator does not infer a KIT genotype or calculate iris color from expression. Associated traits extend beyond the eye. Sources: cat-kit2014 PAX3 — Felis catus | A reported intronic retroviral insertion in an Altai-related lineage A developmental regulator linked to melanoblast biology and some dominant-blue-eye lineages in cats. A 2024 study proposed a PAX3 regulatory-region insertion as an allele underlying a specific dominant-blue-eye lineage. Generator: Cited concept. A reported candidate mechanism is not a measured expression-to-color formula. No inference of genotype from the generated image is made. Sources: cat-pax32024 ALX4 — Canis lupus familiaris | 98.6-kb duplication near ALX4 A developmental gene near a duplication associated with blue eyes and heterochromia in dogs. A 2018 study found a strong association. Altered ALX4 regulation was proposed as a mechanism, requiring further functional investigation. Generator: Cited concept. Association and a proposed regulatory explanation are kept distinct from experimentally measured gene-expression effects. Sources: dog-alx42018 ey — Drosophila melanogaster | No specific variant mapped eyeless encodes a Pax6-related transcription factor in fruit-fly eye development. Experimental work established a role in initiating eye-development programs in the studied fly context. Generator: Reference only. This does not supply a rule for generating functional eyes in arbitrary body locations or species. No experimental intervention is specified. Sources: ey1995 WHAT THE GENERATOR CLAIMS HERC2/OCA2 and IRF4/TYR examples illustrate directional regulatory effects in stated human study contexts. The pigment numbers are artistic illustration values, not measured expression, allele effect sizes or predictions. HERC2 T/C labels follow the cited 2012 paper; do not mix these with A/G reports without strand conversion. For a blue cat concept, KIT and PAX3 are alternative documented contexts, not inferred causes or a combined model. Other blue-eye mechanisms remain outside this first rule set. ALX4 association in dogs is distinct from proof of its proposed expression mechanism. A realistic surface does not establish vision, developmental viability or the feasibility of creating an organism. Cross-species references are identified and their effects are not silently transferred. QUALITY AND PRODUCT DIRECTION The supplied cat-eye and reptile-like eye images are close-up references for iris fibers, color layering, surface moisture and surrounding tissue. Jurassic World Evolution 3 is a baseline reference, not a ceiling. Aim beyond it where possible. Pixel counts alone are not a quality gate. Generate familiar and novel forms through expandable rules. Sources belong to the generation record. The research set supports the machine; the growing asset library is its output. SOURCES [visser2012] Visser et al. (2012) — HERC2 regulation of OCA2 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3290780/ [praetorius2013] Praetorius et al. (2013) — IRF4 and tyrosinase https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2013.10.022 [eye-color] MedlinePlus Genetics — Eye color https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/understanding/traits/eyecolor/ [oca2] MedlinePlus Genetics — OCA2 https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/gene/oca2/ [tyr] MedlinePlus Genetics — TYR https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/gene/tyr/ [mitf] MedlinePlus Genetics — MITF https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/gene/mitf/ [pax6] MedlinePlus Genetics — PAX6 https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/gene/pax6/ [six3] MedlinePlus Genetics — SIX3 https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/gene/six3/ [anatomy] InformedHealth / NCBI Bookshelf — How does the eye work? https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279248/ [pupils2015] Banks et al. (2015) — Animal pupil shapes https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4643806/ [cat-kit2014] David et al. (2014) — KIT, white coat and blue iris in cats https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25085922/ [cat-pax32024] Different Founding Effects Underlie Dominant Blue Eyes in the Domestic Cat (2024) https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11240321/ [dog-alx42018] Deane-Coe et al. (2018) — A duplication associated with blue eyes in dogs https://journals.plos.org/plosgenetics/article?id=10.1371/journal.pgen.1007648 [ey1995] Halder et al. (1995) — eyeless and Drosophila eye development https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7892602/