A Family Resemblance.

[sandyRoe]

I was looking at some family photographs and noticed a remarkable resemblance between my brother and one of his nephews. The thought struck me, why aren't all family members more alike in looks? For example, why aren't brothers like identical twins?

[ummmm]

Because they have two parents.

I look like my mum, my sister looks like my dad.

I have a photo of my kids with my mum and they all look like her whereas my sisters kids look nothing like us but their paternal grandmother is Maltese and it shows in their looks.

[andy-hughes]

Not only do children inherit looks and characteristics from their parents, they also pick up things from their grand-parents as well.

My youngest daughter looks like me, she is biologically mine, but she still strongly resembles her older sisters, from my wife's first marriage.

It's all a melting pot.

[sandyRoe]

But if the genetic mix that goes to make one lad is replicated in his brother why are they not the same?

[ummmm]

Genes are inherited.

My daughter has twin cousins. My daughter looks more like one of the twins than the other twin does.

[andy-hughes]

sandyRoe - //But if the genetic mix that goes to make one lad is replicated in his brother why are they not the same? //

Because the genetic mix is entirely random.

[jno]

if the gene mix worked the same way every time you'd expect to have all boys or all girls (and some people do, of course). But as andy says, it's random. There is no need to vary the gene pool by inviting the plumber to contribute (though some young ladies do that too).

[ummmm]

And to take family resemblance to another level. It is said we are attracted to familiar faces...

I was at my great uncles funeral (my nans twin brother) and a cousin I hadn't seen for years asked my mother who the ginger fella was (my OH) He thought he was a relative. When mum said it to me it was a OMG moment....he looks just like them, really looks like them.

[EcclesCake]

As an aside, I was reading an article the other day about a chap who had (according to the article) an identical twin sister!

[ummmm]

Lol....how does that work?

[LyndaB]

My sister has twin girls. One looks like mum, the other looks like dad

[ukbod2015]

Every time a couple get married new genes are included in the families gene pool, add that into the recessive genes that resurface sometimes several generations later and its surprising that as many progeny do look alike. How many family do you know where different relatives are tall / short - thin/fat - often completely different in body characteristics even from brother to sister. Genuinely identical twins are quite rare.

[fairycakes69]

My husband is a twin, he is the double of his dad, older sister and cousin. His twin brother takes after their mums side. Our eldest daughter takes after me, identical twin sons looks like their dad, twin son/daughter he looks like my brother, she looked like her dad when born , now the double of older sister who looks like me. Strange how they can change.

[Mosaic]

It's the amazing mathematical randomness of evolution, in action before your very eyes.

[ummmm]

So true ukbod...my sister got the paternal fat gene. I got the maternal thin gene.

The one thing both of us inherited is height. Only one of my dads sisters are over 5ft. My mum and her sisters are all 5ft6 and above.

[jennyjoan]

I have always looked like my dad - now my friend who is home from Australia cannot believe how much I am like my mother.

Some years ago I was waiting for my brother to arrive at a pub in London - all en promptu. An English man came up to me and said to me are you X's sister - and I said yes - is he here. No he said you are the image of him.

I personally think nearly all of family siblings have a "flavour" of likeness in them all.

[jennyjoan]

Sandy - you probably don't watch it on Sky - it is Kate with 8 children - Kate married an Asian man - every one of her 8 children are asian looking. All look like the dad who by the way left them all.