How Genes Specify Face Features

Whether you have a huge honker, a puny proboscis, or a snubbed schnoz, the shape of your nose is in your genes. Now, researchers have sniffed out five of those stretches of DNA that control nose and chin shape. The team sequenced the genomes of more than 6000 men and women in Central and South America and used photographs of the participants to categorize 14 of their facial features—from cheekbone protrusion to lip shape. Then, the scientists analyzed whether any of the features were associated with certain genes. GLI3 and PAX1, both known to be involved in cartilage growth, were linked to the breadth of a person's nostrils; DCHS2, also related to cartilage, controlled nose pointiness; RUNX2, which drives bone development, was associated with the width of the nose bridge, the upper area of the nose; and EDAR, which has previously been linked to ear and tooth shape and hair texture, affected chin protrusion. The results, published online today in Nature Communications, may help shed light on how the human face evolved and why different ethnicities have distinct facial features. Moreover, the research could help forensic scientists reconstruct faces based on genetic samples. #AestheticSurgery #CosmeticSurgery #PlasticSurgery #NycPlasticSurgery #NYCPlasticSurgeon #LuxurySkincare #Skincare #MakeOver #BeforeAndAfter #NoseContour #noseJob #NikolaysGeneticsLessons #Genes #FaceFeatures #Ethnicity #Genotype #Phenotype #Rhinoplasty #RhinoplastyAnimation #rhinoplastyIstanbul #rhinoplastyTurkeyDoctor #rhinoplastyTurkey #cosmetology #nonsurgicalNoseLift #nonSurgicalNoseJobBump #noseJobVlog #noseJobExperience #Genetics