Mutations cause a flat forehead or a big nose

Scientists are finally cracking the code concerning facial shape. Based on a small DNA sample, they can now predict whether the DNA’s owner will have a large nose tip or a pointed chin.

The small depression under the nose testifies to the puzzle taking place in the womb as the face is formed: it is where all the major characteristics of the face are united. The process is extremely complex, and yet so accurate that your nose can have almost the same shape as your father’s nose.

Only now are scientists beginning to understand how your genes contribute to shaping your face. Previously, it was only possible to take a look at a few genes and compare them to a few selected traits such as the width of the mouth or the distance between the eyes. But now scientists can analyse the complete set of genes from thousands of test subjects and compare the information with accurate 3D facial scans.

In 2018, American and Belgian scientists set a new standard in the field. They used

DNA and 3D images from 2,329 Europeans to study whether there were DNA sequences linked with specific facial features. Initially they found 38 sequences that were very probably connected with one or more facial features. Subsequently they tested the result on 1,719 new faces, reducing the quantity to 15 sequences.

They discovered that people with the DNA base of guanine in a specific place close to the KCTD15 gene had a more projecting nose tip than people who had the adenine base in the same place of their DNA. A total of seven of the 15 sequences had to do with nose shape – and this is a potentially very useful result, as the nose shape is difficult to deduce from the skull, and so the new discovery will be a major help in criminal cases, or when we would like to reconstruct early humans.