While it’s true that we’re all born with distinct characteristics, even identical twins aren’t genetically similar, there are some people for whom the genetic lottery has bestowed some genuinely extraordinary genes. Whether they like it or not, these people stand out everywhere they go, and we hope that they regard their genetic characteristics as a point of pride and charm. Take a look at these folks to discover how bizarre someone’s genetic characteristics may be!
1. The Cat-Eyed Boy
Nong Youhui, a little kid from Southern China, suffers from an uncommon disease known as “cat-eye.” He can see in the dark as well as he can during the day because of this ailment.
The boy’s eyes appear to glow at night owing to his illness, which is formally known as “Leukoderma.” The disadvantage is that as a result of this, his eyes are very photosensitive.
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2. Mirror-Hand Syndrome
There are numerous unique aspects to this illness, but probably the most intriguing is the fact that there have been less than 100 cases recorded in medical literature globally.
The physical ailment is known as “Ulnar Dimelia,” and it essentially implies that persons with eight fingers make it appear as though they are holding hands with themselves or even high-fiving themselves.
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3. Ice-Blue Eyes
Jalicia Nightengale, a stunning model, was born with what can only be described as the most amazing icy-blue eyes anybody has ever seen. Her dark complexion and blue eyes combine to produce one of the most beautiful faces in the world.
Jalicia has previously stated that she was bullied as a child because of her unique appearance, but as she grew older and began modeling and acting, she finally learned to accept and love herself.
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4. No Thumb Joint
This woman was born with a genetic abnormality known as “Congenital Trigger Finger,” which causes her right thumb to be devoid of a joint. Because of her condition, she now has the smoothest thumb, which is perhaps not such a bad trade-off for a lifetime of uncomfortable handshakes.
It isn’t as uncommon as we believed. According to reports, 3.3 out of 1000 newborns are affected.
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5. Half-Moon Face
Half of this woman’s face was white when she was born, believe it or not. Victoria Krus has a disease known as “Unilateral Vitiligo,” which indicates she only has the illness on one side of her body. The model is absolutely unafraid of her gorgeous appearance and has swept the modeling industry by storm.
It did, however, take her a while to get to where she is now. She admits she used to be quite self-conscious about her looks when she went to modeling auditions, but she finally learned to love herself.
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6. Tom Thumb
And the honor for the world’s longest thumb goes to… this individual who suffers from a disease known as “Triphalangeal Thumb.” With the exception of his thumb, which is nearly as long as his index finger, the guy’s fingers are all of average length.
Only around 25,000 children in the world are born with this disease, which appears to provide them a significant edge when it comes to playing musical instruments.
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7. Ugandan Boy
This little Ugandan kid was born with vitiligo, a rare type of vitiligo. The disease begins at birth and manifests itself in a wide range of skin patterns.
This young man was born with asymmetrical vitiligo, which has spread to a few distinct areas of his body. He was also blessed with extremely blue eyes, which he acquired as a result of Ocular Albinism, giving him a unique appearance.
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8. Heterochromia
This is one of the finest masterpieces I’ve ever seen. This lady was blessed with red hair and heterochromia, a disorder in which her eyes are of different colors. The mix of the two creates an incredibly unique appearance.
In general, just about 2% of the world’s population has ginger hair, and only .011 percent of the population has heterochromia. To put this in context, the girl’s genetics are at .0000022 percent, so if that isn’t uncommon, we don’t know what is.
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9. “Uncomfortable Hair Syndrome”
Shilah Madison is a young woman who was born with a disease known as “uncomfortable hair syndrome.” Though it appears to be rather stylish, her mother has revealed that, in addition to the hair continuously sticking up, it may be really uncomfortable.
The little child is in a lot of discomfort since her hair appears to split frequently from the root. Apart from that, she has fully adopted the appearance of a little lioness poised to conquer the world.
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10. Polydactyly
It’s not every day that we get to see such a beautiful hand! Polydactyly is a condition in which a person’s hands have six digits on each hand. This syndrome causes people to be born with extra toes, fingers, or both.
It affects roughly one in every 1000 individuals on the planet, making it even another very rare illness. Interestingly, because six fingers are a dominant gene, there’s a high possibility this lady’s kids will have them as well.
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11. Holy Eye!
The pupil of this woman’s eye appears to be fleeing towards the bottom of her eye no matter how hard we gaze at it. The disorder is known as “Coloboma,” and it appears to occur when a person has a “small hole” in any portion of their eye.
This is undoubtedly one of the weirdest features among the already distinct traits. Only around 10,000 children on the planet are born with it, and while they can see just as well as anybody else, their pupils and iris differ dramatically.
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12. Long-Toed
People from all around the world went crazy when a photo of a Taiwanese girl was uploaded on a Taiwanese social media platform. She has unusually lengthy toes that do not appear to be the consequence of a genetic disease, but rather the genetics she inherited from her bloodline.
According to her, she was born with a “greek foot,” which her parents also had. Regrettably, she was teased as a child, but she has now learned to accept her toes as just unusual, which has become totally natural to her.
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13. Webbed Fingers
Have you ever heard of a person with webbed fingers? Sounds very Waterworld, right? This guy suffers from a disease known as “Syndactyly,” which is a fancy name for having connected toes and fingers.
Every year, 1 in 2000 children in the world is produced with this birth defect, so even though it’s unusual, it’s more prevalent than you may imagine.
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14. Different Thumbs
This is something these parents should be proud of. Their son received one of each of their thumbs. Despite the fact that this illness does not have an official name, it is so great that it deserves to be on our list!
However, the man’s right thumb has a disease called Brachydactyly type D, which causes the person’s thumb to be shorter.
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15. Amniotic Band Syndrome
Now, this person has accepted his unusual circumstance with a sense of humor. He shared a photo with a placard that said, “For the remainder of the game, you may only pick items up with your thumb and pinky.” “Be careful.”
He has a natural edge in this game due to his condition, which sadly means he only has his pinky and not the rest of his digits.
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16. Waardenburg Syndrome
Waardenburg Syndrome is caused by an exceedingly uncommon mutation in the human DNA of a person who is conceived with it. This condition, which causes people to have a distinctive blend of very wide-set eyes, affects only around 1 in 40,000 persons on the planet.
People who have the disease can also be deaf, however, this is a rare combination. Stef Sanjati, a YouTube sensation, has Waardenburg Syndrome and has utilized her forum to teach as many people as possible about the illness.
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17. Albinism
Albinism is arguably one of the most prevalent and pervasive disorders on the planet. Albinism affects about one in every 20,000 persons, affecting not just their appearance but also their health.
People with albinism may experience vision loss and hearing, which may make life challenging. However, the situation appears to be extremely cool, giving many people a magical appearance.
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18. Gigantism
You may have heard of or seen her, but we couldn’t leave out one of the world’s most amazing ladies from our list. Gigantism is a disorder that causes people to grow to very tall heights.
It can be unpleasant and risky, but it guarantees a one-of-a-kind appearance. Elisany da Cruz Silva, the woman in this photograph, is the world’s tallest woman, standing at 6’9″ tall.
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19. Marfan Syndrome
Marfan Syndrome is a very frequent condition that affects one out of every 10,000 babies born. It makes people seem completely different because their bones develop far longer than they should, resulting in very slender limbs and legs and a bent spine.
Bradford Cox of Deerhunter was born with this disease and has been open about the physical challenges he has experienced, despite the fact that it hasn’t prevented him from following his passion for music.
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20. Tongue-Tacular
Here’s something that you’ll likely have to read and reread before you believe it. It turns out there is someone out there who was born with tentacles under their tongue due to a disease known as “Plica Fimbriata.”
It doesn’t harm and isn’t harmful in any way, although it can become trapped between a person’s teeth at times.
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21. Elf Ears
Some individuals are born with a condition known as “Stahl’s ear,” which is caused by the presence of extra cartilage in the ear, resulting in naturally pointed ears, thus the nickname “elf ears.”
A rare disease affects one out of every 15,000 newborns, and many of them outgrow it or opt for surgery to correct it. We can’t say we blame them since kids may be cruel when it comes to “being weird.”
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22. Hollywood Genetics
Javier Botet, an actor, was born with a genetic abnormality that landed him roles in numerous Hollywood horror films. Even if you have no clue who he is when his costume is off, he was the actor who played Leper in the film IT: Chapter 1.
He’s even won the main part in the movie Slenderman, owing to his outstanding abilities as well as his condition.
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23. Funky Freckles
Freckles are quite prevalent among people from across the world, and although some have only a few on their noses and other regions of their faces, others have them all over (and sometimes on the rest of their bodies too).
Even so, this guy’s freckles are one-of-a-kind. Freckles only cover half of his face, which is an uncommon phenomenon that occurs when a baby is still in the womb.
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24. Creepy Genes
Another example in which genetics absolutely overtook the situation! In this intriguing instance, this person’s father tragically lost his finger when he was just ten years old due to an accident.
They had no idea, however, that when he had a kid, the child would be born with a digit that would eventually cease growing, the same finger that her father had lost.
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25. Gender Is Just a Construct
Harnaam Kaur is a well-known activist who has been questioning and reinventing what a woman looks like for quite some time. She has polycystic ovarian syndrome, which causes her to grow facial hair at a higher pace than normal women (and some men).
As a consequence, Kaur has chosen to embrace her beard while also campaigning for more ladies to accept their bodies as they are.
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26. Lycanthropy
A disease known as Hypertrichosis has been reported since the Middle Ages, causing hair growth at an average that is much above what one can conceive.
Though it hasn’t been proven, it’s thought that a hereditary issue is to blame for the exceedingly unusual occurrence. To present, just 50 instances have been made public and publicized across the world.
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27. Dual Birthmarks
This image depicts one of the world’s most stunning depictions of hereditary genetics.
The mother-daughter pair were both born with a white stripe on the root of their hair, which occurred in an unexpected fashion for even the mother. This characteristic might be caused by a variety of hereditary factors, however, the origin of this particular disease is unclear.
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28. Peace!
This young lady was born with a disease known as “Joint Hypermobility,” sometimes known as “double joints,” which implies that her joints are much more flexible than other people’s.
Her ailment permits her to stretch her fingers so far apart that it appears to be impossible. In any case, despite the fact that the disease is genuine, it has little impact on the person’s day-to-day existence.
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29. Whorling Hair
This young man was born with hair whorls due to a genetic issue. In layman’s terms, there are hair spots that develop in clockwise or counterclockwise circular orientations.
As you’ll see in this photo, he has two distinct hair whorls in opposite directions that are as symmetrical as possible. The hairstyle offers him a natural mohawk and an owl-like appearance on his head.
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30. Hypermobility
Here’s another amazing example of double-joints, this time referred to as hypermobility. Basically, whoever holds it can turn their hand all the way back and even hold objects in reverse if they’re feeling adventurous.
Though this isn’t the first time we’ve included the disease on our list, it’s actually rather rare: just around 5% of individuals worldwide have this hereditary talent.
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31. Open Wide
Uvulas are that small bit of skin in the rear of our mouths that most people are unaware of. One of the essential organs that helps us to produce the sounds of our words is the teardrop-shaped component.
The condition in which this man has not one, but two of these uvulas are known as “cleft uvula,” which implies that his uvula is divided. His illness causes him to sound quite nasally, but there are no additional adverse effects.
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32. Ectrodactyly
We’ve probably all noticed by now that being delivered without a digit or two is evidently far more frequent than we would have imagined.
This person, for example, was born with ectrodactyly, a disease that causes the center of the hand to grow in an unusual way, resulting in a finger. According to studies, around 10% of all newborns are born with a variation of this specific genetic disease.
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33. Tons O Freckles
Meet Hamad Jaman, a model whose face became increasingly freckled as he grew older, until it was totally covered. The freckles are thought to have been produced by sun exposure, however, experts are still uncertain of the exact source of the unusual skin disease.
Regardless of what produces it, it makes one seem very stunning.
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34. Beautiful Eyes
Isn’t it amazing that this individual was born with many hues in one eye? We’ve all seen people with various colored eyes, which is known as Heterochromia, but this unique genetic occurrence is known as Sectoral Heterochromia, which is an incomplete kind of Heterochromia.
At first sight, it appears to be something out of a fantasy tale, yet it truly exists in the real world and is rather lovely.
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35. Depigmentation
You may have known of model Winnie Harlow, who has become one of the most well-known girls in the world in just a few years. Her dark skin, along with some depigmentation, has resulted in an amazing and one-of-a-kind look that is nearly difficult to forget.
After debuting on America’s Next Top Model, the model rocketed to prominence and has since worked with major companies such as Marc Jacobs, Fendi, Nike, and Victoria’s Secret.
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36. Eye Scars
This photo was uploaded by an anonymous Reddit user who wanted to share their unusual genetic disorder with the rest of the world. Because they have a lesion on their iris, the person is regarded as having an unusual iris.
Though one might believe that this would impair their capacity to see, they stated that an optometrist verified that there is nothing amiss with their eye.
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37. A Little Bit of Everything
Ilka Brühl was born with a slew of genetic flaws that, when combined, gave her the unusual loveliness she has. She described her situation in an interview, saying, “I was born with a face cleft and my nose airways were not correctly developed.”
Because Brühl’s tear ducts aren’t the same size, her tears only flow out of one eye when she cries. She has had several operations throughout her life and is now a popular model.
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38. 40-Inch Legs
Many people wish they had long legs, but how about a pair with a circumference of 40 inches? This Swedish model has a unique genetic issue that has caused her to develop unusually long legs, which have undoubtedly aided in the development of her modeling career.
However, not everyone appreciated her beauty when she was younger, as did many others on this list. The model, who goes by the name Ostergren, says she was bullied by her peers as a youngster, but she eventually learned to accept herself.
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39. Cat Eyes
This could sound weird, yet people are born with cat eye syndrome all over the world – a condition that was first documented in 1899.
This little kid from Nepal was born with it and has grown a stunning pair of almond-shaped eyes with cat-like pupils.
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40. Melanin Goddess
Khoudia Diop, popularly known as the “Melanin Goddess,” is a Senegalese model with a skin tone unlike anything we’ve ever seen. Despite the fact that this skin color is not unusual in her nation, her extremely dark complexion caused her to be harassed as a youngster.
Fortunately, she went on to become a well-known model in the fashion industry all around the world. “Beauty is not what you see on the exterior; it is who you are,” Diop famously said. “Your actual essence is on the inside, and beauty emanates from within.”
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41. Lash Blast
So many of us try all we can to obtain longer lashes, but this woman must have been born with them! She didn’t need any modifications or cosmetics because she was born with a disease called distichiasis, which allows her to flaunt her extraordinarily gorgeous eyelashes as much as she likes.
An individual with the uncommon disease has two rows of eyelashes sprouting together on the same lid.
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42. Cinnamon Roll
Yes, you read that correctly: this guy has a gorgeous belly button that is shaped just like a cinnamon bun. The guy’s belly button is in the center of the two most common forms, and we have to agree, it couldn’t look much better!
Although this isn’t really a birth defect because none of us are conceived with a belly button, the problem is created by the way his umbilical cord scar closed.
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43. Streaking
Individuals from all across the world began going to hair salons to get highlights that would make their hair “spark” and stand out as soon as it became a fashion.
But none of it was necessary for this little girl, who was born with a natural hair streak at the back of her head. Among her gorgeous dark blonde hair, she has a solitary brown lock that shines out.
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44. Bowie Eyes
This woman was born with “Bowie Eyes,” a nickname for Anisocoria, a congenital disease. People with this disease have one pupil that operates properly while the other remains frozen in the same condition at all times.
The situation is fascinating, as we can see, and it leaves one appearing entirely distinct. It is estimated that one in every five persons is born with it, making it the most prevalent ailment we have added to our list.
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45. Lobster Claw
Because of a mutation on chromosome 7, a person with this disease develops it. The deformity is sometimes referred to as “lobster claw hand” or “split hand/leg malformation,” and Evan Peters portrayed it in American Horror Story: Freakshow.
The disease causes a person to have a clef where they should have a digit, and it occurs once in every 90,000 births.
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46. Poliosis
Millianna Worthy grew up with a white patch of hair, the exact condition her mother lived with all her life. The condition affecting them is known to the medical literature as Poliosis. According to Healthline, the word dates back to the greek word gray, which is how the disease affects the hair’s ability to produce melanin in a specific area.
Millianna’s mother and grandmother both carry poliosis genes, which might explain why they have the white spot of hair in practically the same location. Although genes often pass it down, some anecdotal accounts attribute trauma and shock to inducing the benign disease.
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47. Kissed By Cupid
People tend to exaggerate iconized symbols in nature, such as seeing Jesus in a slice of toast or an elephant in the clouds passing over you. However, sometimes instances such as a newborn’s birthday mark are undeniable, such as this Turkish couple’s newborn baby.
The child pictured above is the newborn’s birthmark, which took shape as a heart right on his forehead. Almost everyone has a birthmark, perhaps somewhere unflattering, but this kid will grow up to be a lady’s man if his birthmark is any indication.
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48. World’s Strongest Bones
In the late ’90s, a man was involved in a brutal car crash involving a semi-truck. However, when paramedics rushed the man to the hospital, they noticed he hadn’t broken any bones despite the other injuries such as cuts from glass. At first, doctor’s chalked this up to the man’s luck because all indications showed he shouldn’t have even survived the ambulance ride over to the emergency room.
However, further tests revealed that the man’s DNA produced a genetic mutation known as LRP5, which creates an overabundance of protein in the bones. This genetic mutation dramatically increases a person’s bone density to the point where extreme trauma won’t result in a bone fracture.
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49. Plague Survivors Resistant To HIV Infection
The plagues which ravaged Europe wiped out a third of the entire population, leaving a permanent mark on the continent’s culture as it transitioned in the centuries. However, scientists discovered that the plague’s survivors’ genetic traits provided them a slight resistance to other powerful diseases such as HIV.
One of the plagues that marched across Europe infected people’s systems before spreading to other parts of the body. HIV infections follow a nearly identical route, accounting for the immune system’s adaptions. Researchers in Liverpool discovered this genetic resistance to viruses as they developed treatments for HIV and Aides.
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50. Inherited Malaria Resistance
Before modern medicine discovered the cause of Malaria to be mosquitos, people believed the disease infected someone after their exposure to “bad air.” However, we eventually found that Malaria spreads by first infecting female mosquitos, who then spread that disease with their hypodermic sucking straws.
However, despite knowing the root cause, scientists hadn’t produced a vaccine until last year–a moment which caused worldwide celebration among countries plagues by Malaria. In the search for that vaccine, researchers found that some people’s genetic codes featured a resistance to the vaccine, likely produced after generations of exposure to the disease.
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51. Tetrachromats
For anyone who isn’t colorblind, we typically have three cone-like channels by which the human eye processes images for the brain. As a result, most people can perceive a broad spectrum of colors, and all colors are only the shades reflected by light bouncing off surfaces.
However, some people were born with a genetic trait that produces a fourth cone that opens up the ability to see hundreds of millions of colors to which the rest of us are blind. Most people don’t have the genetic feature because, as the human race evolved, there was less need to see as many colors since the brain needed to process more complex thoughts.
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52. Couch Potatoes Rejoice
The unhealthy ingredients in processed foods have led to a general increase in cholesterol rates for adults as they age. To combat this rise in poor health indicators, pharmaceutical companies have developed a wide array of medicines to help adults get their cholesterol rates in check. During a clinical trial for one of these medications, researchers discovered a gene mutation that would change millions–if not billions–of lives.
Researchers determined that the gene mutation occurred naturally in men with African ancestry. The gene essentially blocks the accumulation of cholesterol in the bloodstream without eliminating healthy cholesterol levels. As a result, companies delivered safe and effective medications to millions of patients trying to get healthier through diet and exercise.
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53. Phantom Earring Holes
We’re hoping that anyone born with preauricular sinus, a condition that produces a hole in the ear that resembles earring holes, has parents aware of the disease. It wouldn’t be fun if suddenly you were accused of getting piercings without their permission.
Less than a single percent of the population suffer from this condition, which can also appear on the nose. The medical community considers the Preauricular sinus a benign, practically invisible congenital disability. However, the hole could allow a virus to enter the body without alerting the immune system.
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54. The Amish Might Be Immortal
The Guardian first reported that researchers uncovered a genetic mutation unique to the Amish community living in North America. After learning about the genetic mutation, scientists studied families who carried the gene and found they lived an entire decade longer than people in their community who didn’t have the DNA transformation.
The gene suppressed the process by which ordinary people aged by preventing plaque buildup and cell destruction. Studies in animals found that the same gene produced similar effects in longevity, allowing livestock to enjoy the pastures for more seasons than the average rate.
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55. Universal Blood Donors
On the surface, golden blood sounds like something Homer might’ve written about after an Olympic God cut himself in an epic battle. However, the reality is much less exciting—a genetic disorder found in less than a hundred people globally. Essentially, anyone with a rare blood type can accept this kind of blood, as well as their rare type.
Typically, people who need a blood transfusion require the same blood type, or else the patient’s immune system will attack the foreign red blood cells, killing them. People with “golden blood” help mitigate the issues with finding enough of a rare blood type by giving doctors time with a safe alternative.
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56. Not Even Old Spice Can Eliminate This Odor
This genetic mutation is one of those acts of nature that makes people wonder if there’s a loving god out there, somewhere in the universe. We’re talking about World Wars, plagues, and a gene that makes the body produce a foul odor every hour of the day.
The only cause science can attribute to this unfortunate genetic mutation is that it’s a leftover from our days as apes. Animals need to identifty themselves by smells, and the ancient primates were no exception. As a result, animals produce a musky scene that potential mates can use to identify them. However, the smell reported in people suffering from this mutation is similar to rotting fish.
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57. Stealing A Rib Back From God
Everyone remembers the classic Adam and Eve story, where the Judeo-Christian God stole a rib from Adam to create Eve. Theologians in the past have tried to attribute significance to people’s ribcages. Still, nothing ever really caught on beyond that community, but some people appear to have stolen back their lost rib.
A random change in the FMO3 gene group allowed some people to grow an extra row of ribs right below the neckline, just underneath the point where the collarbone and shoulder meet.
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58. Himalayan Breathing Adaptations
The human body’s ability to adapt to real-time circumstances is impressive enough. When NASA shoots astronauts out into space, the body immediately begins to adapt to the lower levels of gravity. This phenomenon is the reason space organizations use a significant chunk of their budgets to purchase workout equipment for astronauts to use when they’re orbiting the earth.
However, when given generations to combat the elements, human evolution allowed people native to the Himalayan Mountains an extraordinary ability to breathe at higher altitudes. If you’ve ever seen a documentary about mountain climbers, everyone has to wear a mask after they reach about halfway up Mount Everest.
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59. The Machinist In Real Life
According to the Wall Street Journal, around two percent of the American population doesn’t need to sleep more than three hours to have the same benefits as people who sleep for the recommended eight hours. We all know night owls in our life: people who function the best when everyone’s asleep in their beds.
However, this takes the common saying “sleep if for the weak” to another level. According to the news outlet, this lack of sleep for genetic night owls doesn’t affect their mood, memory, or ability to fight off disease. Imagine how much you could get done for the week if you never had to sleep.
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60. It Doesn’t Matter If These People Use Sunscreen
Everyone grows up hearing that they need to wear sunscreen because UV light exposure will give them wrinkles in their twenties. However, there’s one disease people suffer from that ages them fast than average, and there’s nothing they can do to stop the effects.
The genetic condition, known as Progeria, begins to take hold of its victims before their second birthday, starting a rapid process of aging that science hasn’t found a cure to stop yet. Unfortunately, the condition is almost always fatal for children, with the common causes of death being heart attacks or strokes.
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61. This Family Walks On All Fours
There’s a fair bit of controversy with this next case of unique genetics because many people believe this Turkish family is faking their condition for publicity. When another Turkish evolutionary biologist heard of the case, his concluding hypothesis claimed that this family had suffered from a genetic mutation that resulted in a backward slide of evolution.
The cause of this specific disorder is unknown, and a handful of documentaries helped push the case into the public consciousness. However, the broader evidence suggests that the family’s DNA shows a clear pattern of devolution, which helps explain the uncanny ability to move on all fours.
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62. Bill Durks
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, performances dubbed “freak shows” displayed people worldwide who inherited unfortunate genetic disorders. Bill Durk was one of those people who were able to make a living showing the world the result of their unique genetics, and he’s still remembered in carnival museums like the Ringling Museum outside St. Petersburg.
Mundie suffered from a hereditary disorder known today as frontonasal dysplasia, which resulted in Bill appearing to have two faces. To draw in more ticket sales, Bill decided to paint on a third eye
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63. Anna Haining Bates
The doctors and family members who attended Anna Haining Bates’ birth didn’t report anything unusual. That was until Anna began to grow faster than a stalk of bamboo, reaching over five feet in height before her sixth birthday party. Anna eventually reached a final size of seven feet and eleven inches tall.
Despite the widespread speculation regarding her height, Anna was a highly accomplished English literature student and used her money touring the country with P.T. Barnum to purchase a large plot of land for her family. The exact genetic cause of her extreme height is still a mystery, and Anna passed away from heart failure in her early forties.
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64. The Lasting Effects of Nuclear War
When America dropped two nuclear bombs on Japan, the action effectively ended the fighting on the eastern front. While the initial blasts killed untold millions of people, the survivors of the explosions had to live with lasting effects following radiation exposure. The U.S. initially tried to downplay the long-term effects.
However, in the post-war period, medical studies reveal a slight increase in congenital disabilities and a particular concentration in individuals who survived the blast. Among these unique genetic mutations include chromosome disruption, underweight infants, and mortality to diseases such as cancer.
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65. Mermaid Syndrome
While mermaid syndrome might sound like a group of sailors who drank a little too much whiskey, and now the manatees are looking…curious. The syndrome refers to a rare congenital disability known as Sirenomelia, which results in a fusion of an infant’s legs, creating a silhouette similar to iconic symbols of mermaids.
Unfortunately, the condition is usually fatal in infants because the unusual development can leave kidneys and other vital organs unable to function. However, there are some cases where the infant can live, such as Shiloh Peppin, a young girl born with both of her legs fused.
