Humans are incredible and amazing creatures. Each one of us is different, no two people the same. And as unique as we are, we share so many characteristics, traits, and features in common. There are some traits, however, that only a small percentage of the population share.
Here are 12 body features that almost no one has – do you have one of these rare traits?
From missing wisdom teeth to golden blood, these humans were born with body features that most of us do not possess. Read on to learn more.
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1) “Golden” blood
People who have golden blood don’t actually have blood that is gold in color. What it means is that it contains no antigens whatsoever. It’s called Rhnull blood and it can be donated to people with very rare blood types – people who wouldn’t be able to accept a majority of the population’s blood, making it “golden.” As of 2010, there were only 43 people on the planet with RHnull blood.
2) Chimerism
Chimerism “is a condition whereby a person has not one but two complete genomes (sets of DNA) in their body. One genome is found in one region or organ(s), while the other genome can be predominant in other organs or tissues,” says Vibrant Gene. There are only around 100 humans in the world with the condition, although there is believed to be many more.
3) Tiny hole near the ear
If you happen to have a tiny hole near your ear, it’s called a congenital auricular fistula – only 5% of the population possesses this trait. It’s speculated that the hole is an atavism, the theory that we all evolved from creatures that once had gills.
4) The ability to perceive “invisible” colors
The human eye is only capable of receiving a certain range of colors, usually around 1 million of them. People with tetrachromacy, however, have the ability to perceive around 99 million. An ordinary person might say a dandelion is yellow, but a person with tetrachromacy would say they see multiple shades within the flower.
5) Inability for cholesterol growth
“There’s an extremely small group of lucky people who can eat almost anything without worrying about cholesterol. Their risk of developing heart disease is reduced by as much as 90%. The reason is they don’t have enough working copies of the PCSK9 gene. Pharmaceutical companies decided to take advantage of this and began creating a drug that would block PCSK9,” says Brightside.
6) Super dense bones
Wouldn’t it be amazing to have bones that were nearly impossible to break or that would stand the test of time? Well, if you have a certain LRP5 gene mutation, that would be you. Although it sounds amazing, it can cause issues later if you need to have surgeries like hip replacements, the bones are unable to be replaced easily.
7) Long palmar muscle
Some of our ancestors were big tree climbers and developed a certain muscle and ligament because of it – and some of us still have that muscle today! To see if you still have it, put the back of your palm on a flat surface, touch your pinky and thumb together, and slightly lift them. If you see a ligament pop out, you have a long palmar muscle! This is actually quite common, but it’s still cool, right?
8) Double lash line
Lots of people dream of having long, lush eyelashes and if you have distichiasis, you probably have them. People with distichiasis have two rows of eyelashes. Most of the time it doesn’t cause any issues, but, in some cases, it can cause problems with the mucous membrane of the eye. The late Elizabeth Taylor had double lashes.
9) Extra ribs
Some people, more prevelantly in woman, have extra ribs. They are usually found up near the collarbone or cervical area. In most cases, they don’t cause any pain or discomfort but, in other cases, the ribs can grow too large and cause discomfort.
10) Little need for sleep
People with a DEC2 gene mutation require less sleep than most people. They can get a full night’s restful sleep in about half the time than most of us. Margaret Thatcher, Salvador Dali, Winston Churchill, and Nikola Tesla were all known to have this mutation.
11) No wisdom teeth
“20% of people don’t have wisdom teeth, which is considered a normal variant. Their occurrence varies across different populations. For example, almost 100% of indigenous Mexicans don’t have wisdom teeth, while virtually all Tasmanian aborigines do. The difference is related to the PAX9 gene (and perhaps other genes),” explains Brightside.
12) Red hair
Did you know that people with naturally red hair make up only 1-2% of the population? It’s true! This bright hair color is caused by a genetic mutation and it’s usually paired with blue eyes.
Do you happen to have any of these rare body features or traits? Congrats! You’re even more unique than you thought! Share your stories in the comments below.
H/T: Brightside