Doppelgängers don't just look similar! Lookalikes share DNA and personality traits

Have you ever spotted someone in a crowd that you thought was a friend, only to discover it was simply someone who looks remarkably similar? Many of us have seen so-called doppelgängers of loved ones, family members and even ourselves. Now, a study has revealed that these doppelgängers don't just look alike – they also likely have very similar DNA, and even share personality traits. Researchers from the Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute in Barcelona have revealed that strong facial similarity is associated with shared genetic variants. 'These results will have future implications in forensic medicine - reconstructing the criminal's face from DNA - and in genetic diagnosis - the photo of the patient's face will already give you clues as to which genome he or she has,' said Dr Manel Esteller, senior author of the study.