Somewhere in the world there is a person who has the same facial features as you. But, in addition to looking like you physically, you have common genetic variants.
- The face is one of the most visible characteristics of our identity.
- Among the limitations of the study are the small sample size, the use of 2D black and white images and the predominance of European participants.
We all have a doppelganger. This was revealed by researchers from the Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute in Barcelona (Spain). To achieve this discovery, they carried out a study published in the journal Cell Reports. “The expansion of the World Wide Web and the possibility of exchanging photos across the planet have increased the number of people identified online as virtual twins or unrelated duplicates”, wrote the scientists.
32 look-alike pairs
As part of the work, they attempted to characterize, at the molecular level, human beings who have the same facial features. For this, they recruited lookalikes from the work of François Brunelle, a Canadian photographer who has been taking pictures of lookalikes around the world since 1999. The team was able to access the portraits of 32 lookalike couples. She determined their resemblance using three different facial recognition algorithms.
The participants also answered a questionnaire about their physical characteristics and lifestyle. They finally provided a sample of their saliva so that the authors could analyze their DNA.
“Similar genotypes”
According to the results, 9 look-alike couples had the same physical appearance (height, weight, etc.) and genetic similarities. “We report that these volunteers share similar genotypes and differ in their DNA methylation and microbiological landscape,” revealed the researchers.
Additionally, similar behavioral traits, such as smoking and nurturing, have also been observed in lookalikes. According to the scientists, this work suggests that common genetic variants are not only linked to a similar physical appearance, but can also influence common habits and behaviors.
“These results will have future implications in forensics – reconstructing the criminal’s face from DNA – and in genetic diagnosis – the photo of the patient’s face will already give you clues as to what genome they have. Thanks to collaborative efforts, the ultimate challenge would be to predict a person’s facial structure from their multiomic landscape.” said Manel Esteller, lead author of the study, in a statement.