In your genes

This is in your DNA: 12 weird traits passed down from long ago

Image: Cade Proulx

You may have never met your great-great-grandparents, but their biological legacy lives on in you in ways you might not expect. From tiny quirks in your body to odd preferences and physical features, ancestral survival and lifestyle choices have shaped what you carry today. Here are 12 surprising traits that science has linked to deep genetic inheritance.

Image: Katya Ross

A thumb that bends backward at the top joint is known as a hitchhiker’s thumb. It results from a single gene variant.

This trait is controlled by a variation in the gene responsible for joint flexibility. Some people have it in both thumbs, while others only in one. It's a harmless variation that may have been more common in populations requiring greater dexterity.

Image: Max Leveridge

Some babies are born with blue or gray eyes that change color over time. The way this shift unfolds is written in your DNA.

After birth, melanin production in the iris increases over time. Genetic variants in the OCA2 and HERC2 genes regulate melanin levels. These subtle changes can take months or even years to settle into a final eye color.

Image: Alex Guillaume

The ability to roll your tongue into a tube shape is often thought to be purely genetic, and that’s partially true. While you can learn to do it with a lot of practice, studies show it’s also influenced by genes.

Some populations have a higher percentage of tongue rollers, and the trait may have originally been a byproduct of muscle control needed for speech or food manipulation in early humans.

Image: Tim Trad

Acrophobia, or intense fear of heights, has a genetic link tied to survival instincts from your prehistoric ancestors.

People with heightened depth perception or balance issues may inherit a stronger fight-or-flight response to elevation. This reaction likely helped early humans avoid dangerous cliffs or falling from trees.

Image: KaLisa Veer

Strange as it sounds, redheads often experience pain differently. Some studies suggest they have a higher threshold for certain types of pain, while others indicate increased sensitivity to specific stimuli like cold or heat.

This is linked to ancient adaptations in the MC1R gene, which influences melanin production and also affects pain modulation through opioid receptors in the brain. Variants of this gene were more common in populations from colder regions, such as prehistoric Europe.

Image: Chermiti Mohamed

Freckles are genetic, but they bloom with sun exposure due to the way ancestral DNA interacts with UV light.

In fact, the same MC1R gene involved in red hair also influences how melanin clusters into freckles. This is because freckling was advantageous for fair-skinned populations needing some UV protection without full pigmentation.

Image: Anita Jankovic

The ability to digest milk into adulthood is a relatively recent mutation in human history. Populations with pastoralist ancestors—such as Northern Europeans and some East Africans—evolved lactase persistence, the continued production of the enzyme lactase that enables them to digest milk throughout adulthood.

Most of the world remains lactose intolerant, but those with this mutation can thank their ancestors for a genetic advantage linked to dairy-based survival.

Image: Thomas Park

Weirdly enough, some people sneeze when exposed to sunlight or even just bright lights. This phenomenon, known as the "photic sneeze reflex," affects 18–35% of people and is linked to genetics.

While this inherited quirk is harmless, it likely results from crossed nerve signals between the optic and trigeminal nerves, the latter of which controls facial sensations and reflexes like sneezing.

Image: Claudia Love

Also called Morton’s toe, this feature was once thought to improve balance or running efficiency. The trait is hereditary and common in certain populations.

Greek statues often depict this toe shape, suggesting it was either idealized or prevalent in ancient Mediterranean groups. Biomechanical studies show mixed results, but some suggest that a longer second toe can affect posture and gait.

Image: Mika Ruusunen

People with ancestry from colder regions often have inherited a better tolerance to cold. Adaptations such as higher basal metabolic rates, subcutaneous fat distribution, and heat-conserving blood vessel responses are linked to genetic clusters in populations like the Inuit or Sámi.

Genes like UCP1, which influence fat burning and thermogenesis, are more active in these populations.

Image: Marco Bianchetti

Some people have a vestigial muscle in the forearm that others lack entirely. Called the palmaris longus, it once helped tree-climbing primates enhance their arm strength.

Today, about 14% of people are born without it in one or both arms. It has little to no effect on grip strength, making it a living fossil of human evolution. Interestingly, when present, it’s often harvested for surgical grafts because its absence doesn’t impair function.

Image: Bethany Beck

Clockwise or counterclockwise hair whorls are influenced by genetics, and some studies link their direction to the same genes that affect handedness. However, identical twins can sometimes have opposite whorl patterns, suggesting a mix of genetics and early fetal environment.

This trait has no known survival function but may serve as a visible marker of underlying developmental processes during early embryonic growth.

ARTISTIC ALLIANCES

Relive 10 Great Literary Classics Turned Into Outstanding Movies

Image: Suzy Hazelwood

Despite using very different languages, cinema has sought inspiration in literature practically since its beginnings. Some of the greatest stories of the seventh art are adaptations from classic books.

Although we hear the expression "The book is better than the movie" quite a lot, there are vast examples in which film adaptations live up to the stories that inspired them. Many times, when watching movies based on our favorite novels, we can discover new dimensions, delightful supporting characters, and surprising subplots we didn’t even know were there. Here are 10 great movies where the synergy between film and literature worked to perfection.

Image: Kabiur Rahman Riyad

Considered one of the most important novels in American literature, To Kill a Mockingbird revolves around a widowed lawyer who feels a great responsibility to uphold the law and set a good example for his children. The novel was first published in 1960 and just two years later Atticus Finch became a cinematic legend thanks to Gregory Peck and Robert Mulligan's adaptation of Harper Lee's literary original. One of the best and most remembered trial films, it raised the issue of the institutional racism that prevailed in American society.

Peck's portrayal of this complex character was so good that it earned him an Academy Award for Best Actor. In addition, years later the American Film Institute recognized his brilliant version of Atticus Finch as the greatest hero in the history of cinema, surpassing the likes of Indiana Jones, James Bond, Han Solo, and Rocky Balboa.

Image: rawkkim

British author Jane Austen is one of the most adapted writers of all time —from Sense and Sensibility to Emma, there are a large number of great films based on her books. But Joe Wright’s adaptation of Pride and Prejudice (2005) is probably one of the most iconic and also the one that best captured the novelist's sense of humor.

As a result of the director's attention to detail, the film was a great success with audiences and critics alike. In fact, this great work of adaptation was granted an Oscar nomination for Best Costume Design and Best Art Direction. In addition, Keira Knightley was nominated for Best Actress for her accurate and memorable portrayal of Elizabeth Bennet. Donald Sutherland’s scene-stealing role as the weary but gentle Mr. Bennet deserves a special mention. If you don’t trust us, just go back and watch the memorable scene where he gives Elizabeth his consent to marry Mr Darcy. Prepare to shed a few tears!

Image: Tim Alex

Undoubtedly the most famous vampire of all time, the story of Dracula has been adapted to film countless times. We all have the pale face of the Count played by Béla Lugosi in 1931 imprinted in our memory, but perhaps the best adaptation of Bram Stoker's novel is the one released sixty years later. In his 1992 version, Francis Ford Coppola was able to take this classic story to levels never seen before, thanks to an excellent cast led by Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, and Anthony Hopkins.

As if this were not enough, this adaptation sought to explain the origins of the vampire, making very clear the causes of his curse and his eternal conflict with God. In this way, Coppola was able to turn one of the most classic monsters of gothic literature into one of the most chilling creatures of cinema, whose aged appearance and twisted shadow are capable of terrifying anyone.

Image: micheile henderson

Margaret Mitchell's brilliant novel was surely one of the most important adaptation challenges in the history of cinema. Fortunately, the result could not have been better. Victor Fleming's film brought to the big screen —as early as 1939 and in dazzling Technicolor—, one of the best love stories of all time. The director’s meticulous care of every detail of the production can be seen in the breathtaking images showing the aftermath of the American Civil War.

The impressive acting work of Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable as Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler are out of this world. Still considered one of the most important and tragic couples in celluloid history, their performance earned them an Oscar nomination for Best Actor and an Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. If you haven't seen it yet, you should know that this is a must-see classic for anyone who claims to be a movie buff!

Image: Kelly Brito

With over 65 published novels it is no wonder that Stephen King is one of the most adapted American authors in the history of cinema. Quintessential films like The Shining (Stanley Kubrick, 1980) and Misery (Rob Reiner, 1990) have given us some of the most legendary scares of our lives. But perhaps Brian De Palma's version of Carrie (1976) is the most faithful approach to a King text, as well as being one of the best films about adolescence and the real terrors it entails.

Sissy Spacek's memorable performance as Carrie and the iconic prom scene will remain in the memory of viewers for generations. Thanks to De Palma's cinematic approach, this movie version of the novel has left a lasting mark on horror cinema and solidified Stephen King's indisputable storytelling talent for the big screen.

Image: Ioann-Mark Kuznietsov

Although it is one of the most successful films of the 20th century —adjusted for inflation, it is the ninth highest-grossing film in the history of the United States—, some claim that this 1965 three-hour-long screen version of Doctor Zhivago gives excessive attention to the romance between Yuri and Lara, omitting the political message of the original book.

Arguments aside, the technical perfection of the film —it won 5 Academy Awards at the time— and the excellent performance of Omar Sharif have been enough for many to consider this adaptation of Boris Pasternak's novel as one of the greatest classics of all time. In addition, the work of director David Lean is considered a great achievement, even above one of his previous masterpieces, Lawrence of Arabia.

Image: micheile henderson

Another literary classic adapted to the big screen many times, Little Women got a revival in 2019 thanks to Greta Gerwig's modern take. Although the book portrays a historical moment totally different from our current reality, Gerwig manages to give the film that touch of freshness that makes a classic feel current and new. The truth is that her focus on female empowerment and the existential crises of growing up are things we can still identify with today.

In this way, the director —who was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay— manages to tell the same story we all know and love through a new lens, while remaining true to the spirit of Louisa May Alcott's 1868 novel. In addition, Saoirse Ronan, Florence Pugh, and Timothée Chalamet make the most of every moment on screen as they play these memorable characters with mastery and emotion.

Image: Daria Kraplak

Patricia Highsmith is another of the great American authors who has given the world amazing books that were later adapted into films. Carol, The American Friend, and Strangers on a Train are just a few examples. But the 1999 version of The Talented Mr. Ripley by Anthony Mighella is the most famous adaptation of a Highsmith novel and perhaps the best of the whole Ripley saga.

With a stellar cast that included Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow as the happy couple and Matt Damon in the role of the charming yet terrible Tom Ripley, the film was a total success. Nominated for five Academy Awards, The Talented Mr. Ripley left us some of the greatest scenes in film history.

Image: Suzy Hazelwood

In 1998, Mexican director Alfonso Cuarón decided to take the story of Charles Dickens's literary classic Great Expectations and make it into a film. However, he did not limit himself to the original premise and structure but gave it a twist. He chose to set the story in the present day, turning Pip —here called Finn— into a young dreamer whose mysterious benefactor helps him travel to New York to become a great artist capable of fighting for his dreams.

The film stood out for its excellent soundtrack, the use of a green tone color palette, and above all, for an excellent cast that included big Hollywood names such as Ethan Hawke, Gwyneth Paltrow, Chris Cooper, Robert DeNiro, and Anne Bancroft.

Image: Armando Arauz

Many of the best science fiction films of all time are based on classic books. For example, Total Recall, War of the Worlds, and Solaris have been adapted from the works of renowned authors. But perhaps the best one in this genre is Blade Runner, directed by Ridley Scott in 1982.

Starring Harrison Ford, this futuristic classic with neo-noir touches is based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, written by Phillip K. Dick in 1968. In a dystopian future where humans are manufactured and transferred to colonies located outside of Earth, bounty hunter Rick Deckard will have to confront them. Although at the time of its release, it did not receive much recognition, this film loaded with philosophical connotations has managed to transcend both frontiers and generations to become a cult movie adored by fans all over the world.