It's True: You DO Take After Your Father, Say Scientists

It's True: You DO Take After Your Father, Say Scientists
A father imitating his infant son.
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A father imitating his infant son.

'You're just like your father' is a phrase often heard during many a domestic dispute.

And according to new research, that's spot on - even if you're a daughter!

Scientists found that although we might look like our mothers, our genes have more in common with the paternal line.

Researchers at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine discovered that although we inherit equal amounts of genetic mutation from our parents – variants that make us who we are as individuals – we actually 'use' more of the DNA that we inherit from our dads.

Professor Fernando Pardo-Manuel de Villena, who led the research, said: "This is an exceptional new research finding that opens the door to an entirely new area of exploration in human genetics.

"We know there are 95 genes that are subject to this parent-of-origin effect. They're called imprinted genes, and they can play roles in diseases, depending on whether the genetic mutation came from the father or the mother.

"Now we've found that in addition to them, there are thousands of other genes that have a novel parent-of-origin effect."

The finding, reported in the journal Nature Genetics, has important implications for studying the development of diseases, and finding treatments.

Genetic mutations in mammals show up in many common but complex diseases, such as type-2 diabetes, heart disease, schizophrenia, obesity, and cancers.

Do you take after your dad? What about your children?

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