32 pairs of people who looked identical but were completely independent of each other were examined (source: Francois Brunelle) © ANSA / Ansa
People who have very similar faces, despite not being related, are also similar in DNA and may share physical traits such as weight and height, as well as some behavioral traits such as smoking. That’s according to a curious study that compared 32 pairs of look-alikes from around the world, identified and photographed by a Canadian artist. The findings are published in the journal Cell Reports by a research team led by geneticist Manel Esteller from the University of Barcelona in Spain.
“For decades, the existence of similar-looking individuals without family ties has been reported as proven, but only anecdotally and without scientific justification,” explains Eteller. “The increasingly widespread use of the internet and social networks to share images has meant that we are now able to identify and investigate these individuals.”
The researchers recruited 32 pairs of twins, composed of people who appeared to be twins but were complete strangers, who had been photographed by Canadian artist Francois Brunelle over the course of twenty years. All participants completed a questionnaire about their biometrics and lifestyle while objectively assessing the degree of similarity of their faces using three different facial recognition algorithms.
In 75% of the cases (25 out of 32 pairs), the similarity of the faces was recognized by at least two softwares: In particular, 16 pairs were rated as similar by all three algorithms. Thanks to the analysis of the participants’ saliva samples, it was possible to show that these 16 pairs of look-alikes also share a strong similarity in terms of DNA (evaluated on the basis of over 19,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms, the most common type of genetic variation between humans), while they are each other differ in the regulatory mechanisms of the genome (epigenetics) and the microbiome, two aspects that are strongly influenced by the environment. In addition, some physical traits such as weight and height as well as behavioral traits such as smoking and education also correlated in the doppelgangers.
Despite the small number of look-alikes examined, the researchers believe the study still has a solid statistical basis and argue that it could have applications in forensic medicine (to reconstruct the researchers’ identity kit using their DNA) and in preventive screening derived from facial analyses , which individuals may have genetic mutations associated with diseases).
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