15 Wild Genetic Anomalies That Make People Unique

Nathan Johnson Published 03/03/2023 in wtf

Human genetics is a messy game. With some of our fuzzy-haired scientists claiming that the most distantly related any one person could be on earth is 56th cousin, it should come as little surprise that our long-intertwined genetic codes can become a bit... well... funky. When most people nowadays can barely put together a flimsy IKEA breakfast table, it seems a little unfair to ask for the level of exactitude we demand of our bodies when trying to staple together all of our genes.

Nevertheless, we ask and our DNA processes do the best they can to deliver, following the immensely complex recipe our ancient ancestors laid out for it. And, unsurprisingly, mistakes are occasionally made.

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1.
“I have an extra tooth on the roof of my mouth!”
2.
“This weird thing I can do with the back of my palm”
3.
“The middle of my forehead has a single, invisible hair that grows as long as I let it.”
4.
5.
“My hand pruned a bit while swimming.”
6.
“I have a blonde spot only on the left side of my face.”
7.
“A result of working at the same spot for months, full-time — it tanned only the right side of my body.”
8.
“I recently was diagnosed with dermatographia, where scratching the skin causes a rash to show up within minutes.”
9.
“I have brachydactyly type D, or ’toe thumbs,’ on both my hands.”
10.
“Sometimes people stop in the middle of a conversation to stare at my eye. I wonder why.”
11.
“My mom has Raynaud’s disease, where your fingers or toes go numb out of nowhere and turn white.”
12.
“I have naturally pointed ears and a weird notch missing on my right ear.”
13.
“I have a freckle on my arm in the shape of a perfect heart.”
14.
“I can do this with my little finger.”
15.
“My finger does not understand.”

1.
“I have an extra tooth on the roof of my mouth!”
2.
“This weird thing I can do with the back of my palm”
3.
“The middle of my forehead has a single, invisible hair that grows as long as I let it.”
4.
5.
“My hand pruned a bit while swimming.”
6.
“I have a blonde spot only on the left side of my face.”
7.
“A result of working at the same spot for months, full-time — it tanned only the right side of my body.”
8.
“I recently was diagnosed with dermatographia, where scratching the skin causes a rash to show up within minutes.”
9.
“I have brachydactyly type D, or ’toe thumbs,’ on both my hands.”
10.
“Sometimes people stop in the middle of a conversation to stare at my eye. I wonder why.”
11.
“My mom has Raynaud’s disease, where your fingers or toes go numb out of nowhere and turn white.”
12.
“I have naturally pointed ears and a weird notch missing on my right ear.”
13.
“I have a freckle on my arm in the shape of a perfect heart.”
14.
“I can do this with my little finger.”
15.
“My finger does not understand.”