• Question: Why does everyone look different ?

    Asked by hannahratcliffe to Chris, Eva, Michael, Paddy, Philip on 15 Jun 2011. This question was also asked by codiielouise.
    • Photo: Chris Jordan

      Chris Jordan answered on 14 Jun 2011:

      Genetics. We look most like our parents and grandparents and aunts and uncles and brothers and sisters.

    • Photo: Paddy Brock

      Paddy Brock answered on 14 Jun 2011:

      Genetics is the key. Nose shape is supposed to be particularly “heritable” – which means that it is mostly defined by your DNA rather than by any other factors, so if you are looking for resemblance between family members, the nose is the best place to start. Other features can be more affected by the environment. This means, for example, that someone might have genes (i.e. functional bits of DNA) that code for very pale skin, but they live in a tropical climate so have permenantly sun-tanned skin. An interesting way of isolating environmental effects on appearance is by looking at identical twins – any differences between them must be due to the envronment since they have identical genes, as they came from the same embryo.

    • Photo: Michael Wharmby

      Michael Wharmby answered on 14 Jun 2011:

      Yup, I’m with paddy:
      Genetics (Nature) + Environment (Nurture) = Person

    • Photo: Philip Denniff

      Philip Denniff answered on 14 Jun 2011:

      In a room full of 100 people they all look different; it is easy to distinguish one person from another. But in a field of 100 sheep, I could pick out the black one, but I would struggle to distinguish the other 99. But they cant all be genetically the same, there must be some differences between them. Are human able to tell humans apart much more easily that sheep?

    • Photo: Eva Bachmair

      Eva Bachmair answered on 15 Jun 2011:

      It’s in the genes. That is why identical twins look so much alike as they share the same genes.

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