A photo of a chimpanzee with white on the eyes gives the feeling that something’s slightly off because most primates have a dark sclera, which in humans is the white part of the eye that surrounds the iris and pupil. This means that chimpanzees can also give side-eye as a communication signal.

Chimpanzees Can Give Side-Eye

White sclera evolution was thought to be tied to communication because humans have an impressive ability to tell a lot from just one look. So, side-eye means a person is not happy. Rolling the eyes upwards means something is wrong, and so forth. But what is the situation when it comes to other primates? Chimps and bonobos have very complex social groups and communicate through all kinds of gestures with humans being able to translate half of them. While it was thought that a white sclera was unique to humans, studies have found that this is not actually the case.

Cases of chimpanzees with white sclerae were believed to be anomalies caused by a mutation or an illness, but a new review has determined that eye color was highly variable in a big group of wild chimpanzees in Uganda. Of 230 individuals, 34 had white sclerae, with some of these having them visible even when they were looking straight ahead.

Gorillas Also Have White Sclera

According to the authors of the study, scholarly literature and popular media often regard the white sclera as a characteristic unique to humans. However, their research proved otherwise, as almost one-sixth of the chimpanzees they looked at displayed full or partial white sclera in at least one eye. This feature was more noticeable when the chimpanzees averted their gaze rather than when they looked directly at something, meaning they could give side-eye. The authors noted that even a minimal amount of white or light sclera could enhance the visibility of gaze direction.

The new research is built on existing papers that have shown that some gorillas also have white sclerae. In 2022, an experiment tested whether humans and chimpanzees could discriminate the eye-gaze direction in photos of both species. These findings could mean that how people react to the gaze of conspecifics and how they use their eyes to communicate may have been the reason for the evolution of the white sclera.

Dating and starting up conversations with the people that catch one’s attention can be a bit nerve-wracking. Although a pickup line might be cliche, it can be a very good conversation starter. Even if it doesn’t lead to a lasting romance, it might get a few good chuckles and serve as a much-needed icebreaker. Whoever is bold enough and looking to make someone crack a smile could try out one of these five unforgettable pickup lines:

A Classic Pickup Line

Do You Happen to Believe in Love at First Sight, or Should I Walk By One More Time?

As they say, this line is old but gold. It shows a sense of humor and quick wit while also being cheesy enough to break the ice in a non-creepy kind of way. Some of the lines listed below are much more situational, whereas this one can be used in any setting without a problem. Be sure to try it out!

Let’s Get Nerdy

I Hope Our Love Will Be Like the Number Pi – Both Irrational and Endless!

In the information age, being clever, well-informed, and maybe a bit geeky has become much more popular than it ever was. This pickup line is one among many that take a clever piece of real-world information and turn it into a funny, just a bit cheesy, line. Modern geek culture is a well of opportunities when it comes to creating such smooth and clever icebreakers!

That Was Very Punny

I’m No Photographer But I Can Absolutely Picture Us Together

Who doesn’t love a good pun? This line is just the right amount of cheesy and funny, while also being sweet. If one can actually picture themselves with the recipient of this pickup line, then there might actually be some chemistry there and this meet-cute situation could become a story they tell their friends for a long time.

As Smooth as It Gets

Feel My Shirt! Know What It’s Made of? Boyfriend Material!

This line is guaranteed to get a laugh! Moreover, it could be prompted naturally in a conversation if someone’s actually admiring the other person’s shirt. The line is also versatile if one chooses to replace “boyfriend” with “girlfriend”, or even just “friend”!

Medical Romance

Do You Have a BandAid? I Scraped My Knee Falling for You

This line is simply cute. It takes one back to the innocent days of childhood where a scraped knee was their biggest concern. Dropping this line will surely make the other person giggle and make the one who said it seem fun and approachable.