How gene shaped human face

Researchers from KU Leuven (Belgium) and the universities of Pittsburgh, Stanford, and Penn State (US) have identified fifteen genes that determine human facial features. Human DNA determines what an individual look like, including facial features. That appeals to the popular imagination, as the potential applications are obvious. Doctors could use DNA for skull and facial reconstructive surgery, forensic examiners could sketch a perpetrator's face on the basis of DNA retrieved from a crime scene, and historians would be able to reconstruct facial features using DNA from days long gone.

In a new study conducted by KU Leuven in collaboration with the universities of Pittsburgh, Stanford and Penn State, the researchers adopted a different approach. "Our search doesn't focus on specific traits," lead author Peter Claes (KU Leuven) explains. "My colleagues from Pittsburgh and Penn State each provided a database with 3D images of faces and the corresponding DNA of these people. Each face was automatically subdivided into smaller modules. Next, we examined whether any locations in the DNA matched these modules. This modular division technique made it possible for the first time to check for an unprecedented number of facial features."

The scientists were able to identify fifteen locations in human DNA. The Stanford team found out that genomic loci linked to these modular facial features are active when human face develops in the womb. "Furthermore, we also discovered that different genetic variants identified in the study are associated with regions of the genome that influence when, where and how much genes are expressed," says Joanna Wysocka (Stanford). Seven of the fifteen identified genes are linked to the nose, and that's good news, Peter Claes (KU Leuven) continues. "

A skull doesn't contain any traces of the nose, which only consists of soft tissue and cartilage. Therefore, when forensic scientists want to reconstruct a face on the basis of a skull, the nose is the main obstacle. If the skull also yields DNA, it would become much easier to determine the shape of the nose. Age, environment, and lifestyle have an impact on what human face looks like, this could provide genetic insight into the shape and functioning of human brain, as well as in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's."
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Vaping can cause birth defects

Vaping while pregnant could cause babies to be born with disfiguring birth defects to their faces and heads. Exposure to e-cigarette vapor damaged cells that would eventually become facial features in ways that could cause facial clefts and uneven growth of facial structures. The Centers for Disease  Control and Prevention CDC and doctors already recommend that no form of smoking – including vaping – is safe for pregnant women.

As many as 19.4 percent of young adults thought that e-cigarettes caused ‘no harm,’ according to CDC data collected between 2013 and 2014. More than half of the same age group believed that they were only ‘moderately harmful.’ Studies have shown that e-cigarette vapor does have fewer toxins, but the products are so new that their effects aren’t fully understood.

They discovered that the mixture of liquids to create the novel flavors of e-cigarette vapor were responsible for the worst damage to the developing fetus. Most flavors led to only minor effects, like slightly smaller than normal faces. But one unnamed flavor in particular consistently caused the most damage. All of the frogs exposed to that flavor had significant facial clefts.

E-cigarettes use a heating mechanism to heat e-liquids and convert them into flavored vapor. The liquids contain nicotine, as well as propylene, glycol, vegetable glycerine and flavoring compounds. The ingredients used to make the various flavors are a bit of a mystery. Researchers  analyzed 159 varieties of flavored vape liquids, and found that more than two thirds used a compound called diacetyl, which is linked to a popcorn lung.

Previous research linked flavoring in e-liquids to heart defects in developing zebrafish, brain development delays in mice, and the release of at least two carcinogens. The researchers tested six different e-liquids, with nicotine strengths varying from six mg/ml to 24 and one or more flavoring additives. Two varieties had only one flavor each: red tobacco and menthol. They also tested a liquid flavored with both milk and dark chocolate, and one with melon and candy.

The most dramatic defects were tied to the two liquids with the greatest number of different flavors. One used strawberry, almond, caramel, vanilla, biscuit and Vienna cream flavorings, and the other had cereal, berries, cream and citrus. Both of the many-flavored varieties led to dramatically cleft faces or other facial birth defects in the frogs they were tested on.

Facial and mouth clefts are gaps in the middle of the face that can affect both soft muscle and skin tissue and bones. They are rare in humans, effecting only about 1 in every 150,000 babies born worldwide. Depending on how severe the cleft is, they may be reparable with surgery, but if left untreated can also make it difficult for people with cleft faces and palates to eat, make them prone to ear infections and hearing loss, speech and language impairments and dental problems.
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Alcohol effects on fetus

Alcohol can pass from the mother's blood into the fetus' blood. It can damage and affect the growth of the fetus' cells. It can damage the brain and spinal cord cells.

Researchers from Belgium and Australia assessed the drinking habits of more than 400 women during pregnancy and mapped the facial features of their offspring at the age of 1 year.

The team discovered that prenatal alcohol exposure - even at low levels - subtly influenced the formation of facial features in the womb, including the nose, chin, and eyes.

Alcohol consumption during pregnancy can cause physical and developmental problems for fetus, including low birthweight, learning disabilities, small head size, intellectual disabilities, and problems with vision and hearing.

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