It's Thanks to Evolution That No Two Faces Are Alike, Study Finds
Humans' stunning diversity of facial features evolved to make recognition easier, a study says.
From bug eyes to aquiline noses, square jaws to chin dimples, no two faces are alike. That diversity may have evolved to make it easier to recognize other people, researchers reported on Tuesday.
The shape and configuration of a human face are much more variable, compared with other body parts, the study found. What's more, genes that have been linked to face structure vary more than DNA in other regions of the body. This suggests that the forces of evolution have selected for facial diversity, perhaps to make individuals more recognizable to other people, the researchers say.
"An individual may actually benefit from having a unique face," says lead investigator Michael Sheehan, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California,
