It is said that an individual has seven look-alikes throughout the world. But what makes your relatives look like you? We mean, apart from the obvious blood relation. The first hint would be the color of our eyes. A person’s eye color is developed from the process of pigmentation. This takes place in the Iris, which encompasses the pupil. The color of one’s eye is generally determined by genetic variations. Most of the genes that are associated with the color of one’s eye are involved in many of the processes that take place. The color of one’s eye can be directly attested to the quality and amount of melanin.
People from the same family, therefore, can be look-alikes, simply because of the gene pool they share. Children usually turn out to be a combination of their parents due to this. As biology dictates, each parent passes half of their genes to their children. (1)
If you don’t believe us, simply look at these pictures. Can you really claim that these people aren’t lookalikes? We know, finding someone who looks exactly like you can be exciting and daunting. Even more so if they turn out to be a relative. There might be instances when your doppelganger is a relative that existed centuries ago. While usually, children find their genes from their parents, some might inherit characteristics from their ancestors.
How Are Look-Alikes A Reality? How Far Do Genes Affect It?
Look-alikes are heavily dependent on genes. As it stands, our DNA contains genes that contain instructions for our cells. These ‘instructions’ are copied into RNA, which then produces proteins based on the original DNA. And if we have paid attention to our biology classes, proteins are called the building blocks for everything that is present in our body. We also need to understand that genes mostly come in pairs. Both of your parents have a couple of copies of their genes- and they pass on one copy. Genes that are passed on usually determine a lot of traits in you. It could range from skin color to hair color, to the color of your eye. (1)
Even when we are talking about genes creating look-alikes, there are differences. Usually, a family resemblance manifests in a couple of features. You must have heard people talk about your ‘mother’s eyes’ or your ‘father’s nose’. But there are often instances when the resemblances are a lot stronger. In these cases, family members can look so similar that they could pass off as twins. While every single human is unique- such strong similarities can’t be denied. And how can we overlook the fascination of our features on someone else?
Now that the mini science lesson is over. Here are some examples of real-life look-alikes!
Here Are Some Real Life Examples:
- A Grandmother(Left) And The Granddaughter (Right)
2. A Grandfather(Left) And The Grandson (Right)
3. A Mother(Left) And The Daughter (Right)
4. A Father(Left) And The Daughter (Right)
2. A Mother(Left) And The Daughter (Right)
6.
Read: Mom gives birth to 3 girls on the same day exactly 3 years apart
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
Raad: Newborn Twins Sweetly ‘Talk’ to Each Other Just After Birth
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
Do You Any Look-Alikes?
Let’s look at this scenario. When a daughter checked up on her father’s picture from his senior year, she was shocked at finding her eyes on her father. What is interesting is that despite there being a difference in gender and age, the resemblance was absolutely striking. If you still don’t believe us, you should peruse this mother-daughter lookalike! Clearly, the apple doesn’t fall very far from the tree.
Look-alikes come in several forms. You can have a mother and her daughter sharing the same set of teeth. Or you could focus on the matching smiles between a father and his daughter. We would also ask you to take a leap and see this picture. Don’t you think the mother-daughter comparison is too similar? Smells like witchcraft to me!
DNA- the very same that brings out look-alikes are hereditary material. Nobody on earth can lay claim to your DNA- unless you actually have an identical twin. For those who are uninformed, DNA is simply a set of instructions for a cell of an organism. This is precisely why mosquito eggs lead to mosquitoes, and dogs give birth to puppies. It is also the reason why you are born to your parents. Remember, even when you look like one of your ancestors- one of your parents shares the same genes with them!
Keep Reading: Half-Siblings Are Siblings. Period.
Sources
- “A science teacher explains: Why family members look similar.” Indian Express. April 12, 2019.