Expert: Dana Krempels, Ph.D. - 10/2/2008

Question
Hi Dana Krempels,
I wanted to ask you if it's possible for two people of two different ethnic groups to look the same or identical to each other like can they have the same features, is it true that everyone has a twin somewhere in the world? thanks for the reply.

Answer
Dear Lillie,

Yes, it's possible for people with different genetic makeup to bear a superficial resemblance to one another.  There are plenty of different genetic paths to make a nose, but only so many nose shapes available that work for a human. :)

It may not be true that everyone has a "twin" somewhere in the world.  The only *truly identical* humans are identical twins.  But it's true that people tend to come in "morphs" or forms that can be sorted by the observant individual.  It's all a matter of genetic shuffling, random chance, and what works for human anatomy.

Hope that helps!

Dana