The eyes don't have it: nose is most likely feature to be inherited (2024)

Childrenare often thought to inherit their mother’s eyes, or the distinctive smile of their father.

But new research suggests that in fact the nose is the part of the face most likely to be handed down the generations.

The tip of the nose is around 66 per cent likely to be the result of your parents’ genes, and the philtrum - the area below it - around 62 per cent.

These areas, as well as the cheekbones and the inner corner of the eye were found to be most influenced by genetics, according to the study by King’s College, London.

The research published in Scientific Reports used computer image and statistical shape analysis to shed light on which parts of the face are most likely to be inherited.

To test which features are the results of genetics, researchers took scans of twins' faces using 3D cameras and custom built statistical software to generate thousands of points that were perfectly aligned across the face.

They then measured how “curved” each face looked at each one of those locations.

The study then examined how similar these measurements were between identical twins, who have the same genes, and non-identical twins, who only share half of the genes, to calculate hte likelihood that each facial feature is determined by genetics.

Professor Giovanni Montana, from King's College London, said: 'The notion that our genes control our face is self-evident.

“Many of us have facial traits that clearly resample those of our parents and identical twins are often indistinguishable.

“However, quantifying precisely which parts of the face are strongly heritable has been challenging so far.'

The study also found that even identical twins could have significant variation between their facial features.

But because the key areas were controlled by genetics, they were perceived as “identical” said Professor Tim Spector, director of the TwinsUK study at King's College London.

Facial features most likely to be genetic

  • Shape at the end of the nose

  • Area above the lips

  • Cheekbones

  • Inner corners of the eyes

  • Area below the lips

The eyes don't have it: nose is most likely feature to be inherited (2024)

FAQs

The eyes don't have it: nose is most likely feature to be inherited? ›

The tip of the nose is around 66 per cent likely to be the result of your parents' genes, and the philtrum - the area below it - around 62 per cent. These areas, as well as the cheekbones and the inner corner of the eye were found to be most influenced by genetics, according to the study by King's College, London.

What facial features are hereditary? ›

Facial features, such as the shape of the nose, a receding chin or the 'Hapsburg lip', are often passed on in families from generation to generation.

Is nose genetically inherited? ›

DNA controls nose and chin features

Whether you have a huge honker, a puny proboscis, or a snubbed schnoz, the shape of your nose is in your genes.

What features do you inherit from your parents? ›

How we inherit characteristics. Parents pass on traits or characteristics, such as eye colour and blood type, to their children through their genes. Some health conditions and diseases can be passed on genetically too.

What features Cannot be inherited? ›

Acquired characteristics, by definition, are characteristics that are gained by an organism after birth as a result of external influences or the organism's own activities which change its structure or function and cannot be inherited.

What are the hereditary features? ›

Hereditary characteristics are those characters that are passed from one generation to the other. For example, hair color, eye color, height of a person, certain diseases like diabetes etc.

Can you tell ancestry by facial features? ›

Ancestry and Genetic Admixture

Ancestry and physical appearance are highly related; it is often possible to infer an individual's recent ancestry based on physically observable features such as facial structure and skin color.

What does a girl inherit from her father? ›

Daughters get two X chromosomes, one from Mother and one from Father. So Daughter will inherit X-linked genes from her father as well as her mother. Examples of X-linked recessive disorders are hemophilia, red-green color blindness, and Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome.

What is inherited from father only? ›

Dads are 100% responsible for the gender of their newborns. The X and Y chromosomes, commonly known as sex chromosomes, define the child's gender. Girls inherit an X chromosome from their father, resulting in a XX genotype, and males inherit a Y chromosome from their father, resulting in an XY genotype.

What physical traits are inherited from mother only? ›

Physical features such as hair color, hair texture, hairline, skin, and varicose veins are inherited from your mother.

What are 2 traits that Cannot be passed on? ›

Scars are another instance of acquired physical characteristics. Hormonal changes associated with puberty are another example of acquired characteristics that cannot be passed on to subsequent generations.

Is intelligence inherited? ›

Like most aspects of human behavior and cognition, intelligence is a complex trait that is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. Intelligence is challenging to study, in part because it can be defined and measured in different ways.

What are 3 traits that are not inherited? ›

Non-inherited traits are learned traits, and in most cases these traits are learned from close or immediate family members like parents, grandparents and siblings. Examples of non-inherited traits include table manners, greeting customs, a preference for certain types of foods, and parenting skills.

What facial features are dominant genes? ›

A few traits have shown potential dominant genetic influence: the prominence and height of the nose, the lower lip prominence in relation to the chin and upper lip philtrum length. Environmental contribution to facial variation seems to be the greatest for the mandibular ramus height and horizontal facial asymmetry.

Are lips inherited from mother or father? ›

But each child may also get genetic "instructions" for different features. For instance, a firstborn child may have one parent's lips, while the youngest may get their lips from the other parent.

What physical features are inherited from your mother? ›

Physical features

Physical features such as hair color, hair texture, hairline, skin, and varicose veins are inherited from your mother.

Which parent do you get facial hair genes from? ›

It's a fairly common misconception that a man's beard is inherited directly from his father. The truth is that beards are just like most other genetically derived features: they can come from either side of the family. The unique feature of beards, obviously, is that they don't appear until maturity.

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