WEIRD SCIENCE

Elizabeth Taylor’s voluminous eyelashes were a genetic mutation

LIZ TAYLOR’S head-turning looks may, at least partly, have been due to a rare genetic mutation that resulted in her having two rows of eyelashes on each eyelid rather than one. The technical term for this disorder is distichiasis. While it helped to give Taylor, pictured above, an alluring gaze, there can be medical complications. In some cases, they cause discomfort and may need to be surgically removed to prevent eye damage.