How Far Scientists Go To Create Your Face From Your DNA | Science Skills

Population geneticist Mark Shriver and his team at Penn State want to make replicas of faces using solely DNA. This kind of technology, once honed, could be essential for solving cold cases involving unidentified remains. Facial reconstructions are often a last-ditch effort to identify victims when other leads don't pan out, but traditional forensic sculptures are only approximations. Here's how Shriver Lab is trying to get us as close as we can to a copy machine.

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How Far Scientists Go To Create Your Face From Your DNA | Science Skills

[Asfand]

As a biotechnologist, I'd like to add a few things to this approach. Actually, a huge limitation of Genomics (study of genes) is that it doesn't account for the changes at the transcript (RNA)or proteomics (proteins) level.
For example, if a person ends up having a burnt mark on the face or some physical abrasion done to the skin cheek bones, the DNA level studies will not be able to account for that as DNA cannot inform you for something it isn't involved in. That's why we have Omics study now. Could be the case that they showed SNP's to make the general audience understand what they do.
Nevertheless, as they mentioned this technology is still in it's infancy, interesting approach however.

[kathryncarter]

This is absolutely unreal. I'd have never even begun to imagine such a thing would ever be possible. Beyond amazing.

[blakebeaton]

I wonder if epigenetics also plays a role. If you were involved in a famine, does that change the expression of important genes and ultimately phenotype?

[Void]

What sucks about this is that some people look similar. I've seen people I could swear that are related, but aren't. I wonder if we starting using this in the future if mistakes will be made where we point the finger at the wrong person. I'm not saying we shouldn't use this. It is amazing, but sadly nothing is perfect.

[enigma]

I would think it would be helpful to get unrelated individuals that look a lot alike and find the similarities in their DNA.

[mrwilvlogs]

Amazing work. Its really happening, unbelievable science.

[justmyedits]

Imagine your dna shows that you're supposed to look better than now but for some reason, the environment and maybe the foods you ate growing up fucked up your appearance.

I can't be the only one who never recognizes anyone even from 10 photos. I only recognize a face if i have seen it in person or in a video

[athmaid]

1:02 me when I realise that the exam is in two days

[NavierMasChannel]

I don’t ever see how people often identify victims by portraits. They almost never really look like the real person. But if it helps with cold cases I’m all for it. Just confused

[zb]

I can see this used in artificial insemination...babies by choice of appearance or other traits.

[cyankirkpatrick]

I seen something like this in the wonderful works in the place called wonder werks

[mistermind]

Last year I watched a south indian movie in which this tech was used. The movie was pretty good.

[Spydy]

This could be a way to see how someone looks like when you or your child is grown up

[cyankirkpatrick]

Just think it took days and now just seconds

[UHFStation]

Not weird at all. Keeping lockets of hair used to be very romantic. Lol.

[MusicMAAD]

Watch when they start using this technology to make robots with human faces...

[xxKEVZxx]

Background music just gives me buzzfeed unsolved flashbacks

[professionalcommenter]

I looked at what I'm supposed to look like on 23 and me and according to my DNA. I'm supposed to have straight hair and blue eyes. I have green eyes and curly hair.

[laurenparajecki]

Bill Nye the science guy would have fun with this