People With Similar Faces Likely Have Similar DNA

A collection of photos of genetically unrelated lookalikes, along with DNA analysis, revealed that strong facial similarity is associated with shared genetic variants.

The number of people identified online as virtual twins or doubles who are genetically unrelated has increased due to the expansion of the World Wide Web and the possibility of exchanging pictures of humans across the planet.

To do so, they recruited human doubles from the photographic work of François Brunelle, a Canadian artist who has been obtaining worldwide pictures of lookalikes since 1999.

In addition, the participants completed a comprehensive biometric and lifestyle questionnaire and provided DNA for multi-omics analysis.

Overall, the results revealed that these individuals share similar genotypes.

Moreover, physical traits such as weight and height, as well as behavioural traits such as smoking and education, were correlated in lookalike pairs. Taken together, the results suggest that shared genetic variation not only relates to similar physical appearance but may also influence common habits and behaviour.