A team of scientists has discovered responsible for the shape of human noses, an advance that can help understand how our faces evolved and aid forensic DNA technologies.

Researchers from University College London (UCL) have identified the genes known as DCHS2, RUNX2, GLI3, and PAX1, and all play a part in determining the width and sharpness of our nose. In specific, the latter two genes are mainly involved in predicting nostril width; the first predicts pointiness, while the second gene, RUNX2, informs nose breadth. In addition to the four aforementioned genes, researcher also discovered a gene called EDAR, which affects chin protrusion.

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For the study, researchers analyzed more than 6,000 people from Colombia, Peru, Brazil, Chile and Mexico participating in the CANDELA study. After initial screening, the researchers chose 5,958 people for the study: 50 percent of which belongs to mixed European Heritage, 45 percent were Native Americans, and the remaining 5 percent came from African ancestry.

After studying the facial features of the participants, the researchers compared the output with the genetic makeup of each individual. A comparison between facial features and genes enabled researchers to identify the key genes that affect the pointiness and the shape of the nose. A sub-group of 3,000 participants was also created to undergo 3D reconstruction of their face to obtain exact measurement of their facial features.

“Finding out the role each gene plays helps us to piece together the evolutionary path from Neanderthal to modern humans. It brings us closer to understanding how genes influence the way we look, which is important for forensics applications,” said the first author of the report, Dr Kaustubh Adhikari, UCL Cell & Developmental Biology, in a statement.

The study also found that these genes appear to influence other facial characteristics such as your forehead profile, the thickness of your lips and how much your brow ride protrudes.

The researchers believe that the study may have some other broader implications. These include the shape of one’s nose being related to the environment a person grows up in, as illustrated above. And on a more serious note, it could help researchers learn the origins of genetic abnormalities.

Complete details of the study findings were published in the journal Nature Communications.

Tagsnose shape, genes, human nose shape, human genes