Superheroes are born out of diversity, with unique genetic traits that make them stand out of the crowd. Well, whether or not you've seen them, there are real-life superheroes that walk among us every day - don't believe us? Just check out the amazing genetic mutations list below. Everyone's parents probably told them they are special snowflakes at one point or another and that they are not like anyone else on the planet, which is true. Still, some people out there have even more extraordinary human genomes. Bored Panda has curated a list of people with rare genetic disorders that might make you do a double-take. From extra or missing digits to unique hair colorings and birthmarks, these people are walking gene pool anomalies. Scroll down below to check it out, and don't forget to upvote your favs!
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My Friends Newborn Baby Was Born With The Same Birthmark In Her Hair As Her Mother
Most of us have a birthmark somewhere on our skin, but this mom and daughter share one on their head. This DNA mutation is called Poliosis and results in the absence of melanin on any hairy part of the body. This unique birthmark can be inherited, or be caused by an autoimmune destruction of the pigment cells at the base of the hair.
My Friend's Iris Is Split In Half
Those are some pretty colored contacts right? Nope, this person has heterochromia iridis, a genetic variation that manifests in multicolored eyes. The duel coloring is caused by an excess or lack of melanin resulting from genetics, disease or an injury. The perfect split you see in the image below is called sectoral heterochromia and occurs when there are two different colors in the same iris. There is a dominant color and then a splash of second one.
My Dad Has 6 Fingers On Each Hand. He Uses 2 Fingers To Flip Someone Off
This man's thumbs are there and just would not bend at the knuckle, but are fully formed and can be moved at the base of the fingers. Polydactyly runs in his family, too. Both him and his son had 12 fingers and 12 toes, although his boy had surgery when he was young.
Ulnar Dimelia Or Mirror Hand Syndrome
Ulnar dimelia is a congenital deformity where the thumb is absent, the ulna is duplicated, and there are seven or eight fingers in the hand. The human body condition is often referred to as "mirror hand syndrome.” It is so rare that less than 100 cases have been reported in medical literature.
My Brother-In-Law Got A Thumb From Each Parent
Wether we like it or not we are all a combination of the genes our parents gave us. Each gene is a blueprint for our bodies and the ones from our parents contain information that informs everything from eye color to diseases to the characteristics of our thumbs.
My GF Was Born Without A Nail On A Finger. So Due To Popular Demand, We Put Google Eyes On It
Anonychia congenita is a genetic condition that can affect the fingernails and toenails. People with this abnormality are usually missing all of their nails but in some cases (hyponychia) only some fingernails or a partial nails are missing. Those affected by anonychia congenita do not have any other health conditions as a result of their condition.
My Son Was Born With Natural Elf Ears
Stahl's ear (also called Spock's ear for all the Star Trek fans out there) is an ear deformity that results in a pointy ear shape as well as an extra cartilage fold. This abnormality is the result of a misshapen cartilage and when found in the first weeks of an infant's life ear molding is a viable treatment.
I Was Born Ready For This
Born with Amniotic Band Syndrome, this person claimed they used to wrestle and since it was required that opponents shake hands before the first period, it was a great way to throw people off.
I Have Only Four Fingers On My Left Hand, And Have And Index Finger Instead Of My Thumb
Symbrachydactyly is a condition where babies are born with an underdeveloped hand which causes them to have small, or in the case of the person below, missing fingers. Hand malformations are often treated with orthotics, prosthetics, physical therapy or in some cases surgery.
I Was Born With A Scar On My Eye
No this photo wasn't edited, that person really has a scar on their eye, or in medical terms - macular pucker. Macular pucker is a scar tissue that formed in the eye's macula which is located in the retina. This part of the eye gives the eye sharp vision, so this condition can cause blurred and distorted vision. Macular puckers occur when the vitreous of the eye ( a gel-like substance on its interior) pulls away from the retina.
My Boyfriend Has Freckles On Only Half Of His Face, I Think It's Cool
This guy's rare freckle pattern may seem like it's a one-of-a-kind rarity but he's not alone. Back in 2015, California woman, Samantha, went on The Doctors to ask them to explain when she had a freckle pattern that sharply went along only one side of her body. The answer- a very specific type of birthmark. "It's a very specific type of birth mark which started when you were an embryo," dermatologist Dr. Sonia Batra told her. "And the pigment cells in your neural crest, some of them actually developed a mutation or a change and as the cells migrated over, it actually effects only half the body. 'That's why there's such a sharp cut off."
You can also get half a face of freckles from driving with the window down on a regular basis. Admittedly my way is less impressive.
My Son Has Symmetrical Hair Whorls Which Go In Opposite Directions. This Allows Him To Grow A Natural Mohawk
This may look like a cool haircut but your barber might have a tough time replicating it. A hair whorl is a patch of hair that grows in a circular clockwise or counterclockwise direction. This hair abnormality has been studied by behaviorists to see if their is a genetic link between handedness and whirl direction, but nothing absolutely conclusive has been found.
My Left Eye Is About 1/3 Grey
This is a perfect example of sectoral heterochromia, a difference in coloration of the iris when only part of it has a different color from its remainder. It may be inherited, or caused by genetic mosaicism, chimerism, disease, or injury.
This whole post is making me realize how much I like different eyecolours! Its amazing to see so many different versions I have never seen before
Half Of The Eyelashes On My Right Eye Are White
When this person was 11, they woke up one morning to some of their eyelashes white. It happened overnight. Their mom thought they had bleached them somehow. It was only a very small section at first but it’s now over half of the eyelashes on this eye. It affects both top and bottom lashes, and they occasionally get one or two white hairs in their eyebrow. It’s a condition called Vitiligo and it occurs when your immune system is weak in a specific area, causing the color pigmentation to ‘drain’ out of the skin, or in their case, eyelashes.
My Wife Discovered That She And My Sister Both Have Syndactyly Connected Toes. They Celebrated Their Similar Trait With New Tattoos
Scientifically, this condition is known as syndactyly, but it's commonly referred to as webbed toes, even though it applies to both fingers and toes. Common in the animal kingdom, this condition is rarer among humans. Statistically there's one baby with webbed toes in 2000-2500 births. So syndactyly is not extremely rare and even Ashton Kutcher has it.
My Dad's Index Tip Was Cut Off When He Was 10, My Index Is Shorter Than My Pinky
This case would require more scientific study. According to research as of now acquired characteristics are non-heritable characteristics of a living creature and that includes injuries and accidents. One possible explanation for this short index finger? a hand abnormality.
It is a primitive belief that acquired characteristics can be inherited and has been refuted time and time again since the 1800s. The Soviets studied it for decades (Lamarckism/Lysenkoism) and found nothing. A recent study suggests that some things, like immunity to a virus, may be inheritable in worms via RNA rather than DNA.
My Kid Has One Streak Of Very Dark Hair
When you have a blonde streak or a white streak because of a localized decrease of melanin it's called poliosis. However, there is no certain name for when the area has increased melanin. Some people are calling this a "birthmark" and other's are saying it's probably just a discoloration in the hair and that it will eventually even out.
I Have Tentacles Under My Tongue- Apparently Not Everyone Does?
No this is not an elaborate Halloween prosthetic, these are what are called fimbriated folds of the tongue or plica frimbriata. The tentacle-like flaps occur when the folds that go alongside the frenulum (the tissue that connects the tongue to the bottom of the mouth) have small growths or skin tags on them. They are harmless but have the potential to get stuck in your teeth.
A Friend Of Mine Can Grab Things Backwards
Often referred to as "double jointed" people who can move their joints beyond its normal range have what are called hypermobility. This is more common among children (10% to 15%) and usually decreases with age, as approximately 5% of adults have this ability. There are multiple causes of hypermobility including: altered bone shapes, stretched ligaments, muscle tone or stiffness and proprioception (sense of movement).
I Was Born With 6 Toes On My Left Foot And My Co-Worker Was Born With 4 Toes On Her Right Foot
Six toes is a very common birth defect called Hexadactyly, which literally translates to six digits. This condition usually manifests as an extra finger or toe on the side of the toes or in between. Extra digits are usually harmless and can be removed easily but in other cases can be the side effect of a more serious condition.
I Was Born Missing My Right Pinky And Thumb
Out of all the babies born 10% are born with malformations of the hand. These congenital defects occur early in pregnancy and are sometimes inherited or a symptom of another condition. The person in this photo has a cleft hand (also called ectrodactyly or split hand) which occurs when the middle part of the hand develops abnormally. Babies with this condition are born missing one or more central fingers on the hand. There are two types of cleft hands: typical (V-shaped and usually missing or partially missing middle fingers); and atypical (U-shaped and usually involves only one hand).
Five Fingers, No Thumb
The person in the photo above has all five functioning fingers except for one peculiarity - there's no thumb on the hand. This malformation is referred to as triphalangeal thumb where the thumb has three phalanges instead of two. It can be treated with reconstructive surgery by reshaping the finger so that it would operate like a thumb. It is estimated that approximately one in 25,000 children is born with the condition.
:generic glove comment no. 4: Interesting how many hand anomalities(?) there seem to be
I Was Born Without A Bridge In My Nose
Nasal bridge is a saddle-shaped area that includes the nasal root and the lateral aspects of the nose. It appears that the person has a so-called depressed nasal bridge, which can occur due to various conditions. The most commonly encountered congenital syndromes with a depressed nasal bridge in the pediatric orthopaedic practice are cleidocranial dysplasia, children with neurodevelopmental delay, achondroplasia, Conradi-Hünermann-Happle syndrome, Cornelia de Lange syndrome, osteogenesis imperfecta and Klippel-Feil syndrome. Interestingly enough, this unique feature has its perks - the person who posted the photo said that his nose never bleeds.
Dose that mean he can't break his nose? Dose it affect his breathing? So many questions, it is very interesting.
I Was Born With A Condition Where My Right Thumb Is Unable To Bend
Trigger finger is a condition that is found in one or more tendons of the hand. The tendon that allows the thumb to flex is too swollen and locks. Eventually the the thumb completely locks and is unable to bend at all. This condition is present in 3.3 per 1000 live births.
As a right handed man, this would be horrible as a teenager,
My Daughter Was Born With A Perfect Number 2 On Her Head
Bizarre birthmarks open the doors to myths, legends and folklore. In some cultures, it's believed that birthmarks represent your past life, in others - that gods have marked the baby as the chosen one to accomplish colossal deeds. In this case, as the parents of this baby joked, it's their first kid, so the number 2 might represent that the baby was supposed to have a twin, which she ate.
Abnormally Pruney Fingers?? Every Time I Go Swimming With Anyone My Hands Are Always 10x More Wrinkly Than Anyone Else’s
Pruney fingers occur when the nervous system sends a message to the blood vessels to become narrower. Scientists argue why our fingers tend to prune in water. It’s hypothesized that, as gatherers, it was easier to pick vegetation from wet environments and the wrinkling of our toes prevented us from slipping. So maybe this person has an ancestry with a greater expression of this trait.
My Little Finger Is My Biggest Finger
What does it mean when your "little finger" is larger than the rest? Macrodactyly is a rare condition that causes an individual to have one or more fingers or toes that are much larger than the others. The exact cause is unknown but some believe is comes from an abnormal nerve or blood supply.
I Can See The Internal Bruising In My Finger When I Hold My Hand Up To The Light
This picture is interesting even despite the internal bruising in the finger. After it was posted on reddit, a lot of people were asking why the hell they can't see any finger bones. It is because of how much the skin and flesh diffuse the light. Think of it as looking through a pane of frosted glass, times a thousand.
I'm just going to ask what everyone is wondering... where are your bones?
Here Is An Example Of Ryder’s Polydactyly
Polydactyly is the condition that causes a person to be born with extra digits on their feet or hands. Ryder was actually born with 12 fingers and 12 toes.
I Have A Single Line Across My Palm
did everyone else started checking their hands and toes for any similarities like the picture above, or was it just me?
Yup. Although I have known my fingers for 25 years I took a look to see if I have all of them or if they are identical and "normal". I forgot to brain apparently.
Load More Replies...One odd thing about myself: I have two skin flaps covering the inside of each of my cheeks. And yes, I can stuff food inside of them like a chipmunk
That is so very cool! I’d love to see a picture of them!
Load More Replies...I think this post might help spread awarness to people with birth defects. Its not funny they get made fun of or bullied,over something no one could control...its a real problem in this world...
Yes, I agree, it's a big problem that people with physical differences are often forgotten or hidden away. One person who has made it a personal mission to introduce many of these hidden people by giving them a platform on a well designed YouTube channel. I'm talking about SBSK (special books by special kids) Chris travels around to interview extraordinary kids and their families, with the intention of shining a light on people who want to be seen and acknowledged. Unfortunately, Chris is now fighting for his channel's voice, which has been silenced by YouTube's new comment policies for children's channels. Read about it here: http://youtu.be/Wy7Tvo-q63o
Load More Replies...I knew someone who was born without knuckles in all of their fingers. I never noticed it really until she told me she was scared that her daughter would be born like her. I was like whaaa??? When she showed me her hands I could not believe it. She said her brother had it too and he was so upset at the fact that he could never do a fist and do boxing or fight.
My second toes are much longer than my big toes. It's supposed to be a hold over from Neanderthal genes.
My father told me people like that are smarter (he & I both have it) LOL
Load More Replies...Very cool! I’m a nurse, and the human body, is endlessly fascinating to me and always has been!
I can dislocate my hips, turn my legs outwards, and im double jointed in both thumbs, not as exciting as any of these though.
I have a few odd things about me. One of the most intriguing besides being "double jointed" in my elbows and able to make them reach one another and twist my arms in bizarre ways that I find perfectly normal, is that I have a sacral dimple--which is a small indentation just above the crease of my buttocks where my tailbone probably is. I used to think this was perfectly normal until my mother brought it up to me. I also have two bony growths in the bottom of my mouth just between my tongue called mandibular tori. I also have a slightly lazy eye that wanders off to the side if you look long enough.
The tailbone one is interesting to me. I’m also double jointed in my arms (specifically elbow), I can move them back in the wrong direction about 45 degrees
Load More Replies...The only thing I can do is push my right shoulder out the socket and twist it stupidly. Not nearly as impressive as grabbing things backwards
When I was born ( way back in 1947 )...my dad said he bet the nurses he could pick me out without seeing me, or my name...he did ! Seems that my second & third toes on both feet were a lot longer then my big toes ( I've always hated for anyone to see my feet).Turned out to be a curse...I now have hammer toes !
I think all of these are so amazing and cool! Like, wow, I would feel lucky if I even just knew one of those people! : D
I wonder if the extra fingers and toes are becoming part of evolution? And that humans in the future will all have 12 fingers and 12 toes...
Considering that evolution, at the basic, essentially works in two (for a lack of a better term) time-scales that are short-term and long-term. Short-term selects for clear advantages and long-term deselects for clear disadvantages, and I'm sure many (most? all?) shown here would fall under the latter one so I see no reason why they wouldn't increase. Though honestly speaking, humanity has largely sidestepped evolution due to our medical science.
Load More Replies...My tongue is very long.I can make it long and thin or wide and thick its very weird!!
i have a hole in my left ear. looks like a piercing hole but if you squeeze it juice comes out
I'm a mutant too. Apart from #28 (a much bigger big toe). My middle fingers are like swapped. They are not straight and pointing outwardly. It didn't mention here. Not sure if this is another kind of mutant syndrome
The middle digits of both my hands and feet bend out at the tip. I inherited it from my mother.
I have those same two swirls in my hair that give a natural mohawk. And I have a grey streak right down the center of my head like a skunk.
My eyes are so brown they're pretty much black, to the point you can't see the pupil even in light. It's pretty amazing but pales in comparison to the other eyes on this post. I might be the first person to have pure black eyes in the world!
How cool! Mine were that black when I was young & I have large irises. The admin at elementary school called me Frying Pan Eyes (like Fred Flintstone's term of endearment for Wilma Flintstone). In my late teens they started changing to hazel w dark brown, gold & green. I wish they'd stayed really dark.
Load More Replies...I can completely rotate my shoulders with my hands holding each other. How? I pop them out of my sockets!
I have a form of ehlers- danlos syndrome that gives me a great deal of flexibility known as hypermobility. Sounds cool, looks really neat like that person who can grab things backwards but unfortunately it comes with the hefty consequence of severe injuries, dislocations, bruising, muscle tearing, and the list goes on. That's just one version of it. There's as of right now to my knowledge 14 different types of EDS. I got hEDS. Trying to find the genetic defect for that one still has drs scratching their heads... at least it granted me a youthful appearance which makes our seem like im hardly aging. That's really the only nice part of it.
Hmm, until now I thought those things below my tongue were normal...
I knew a woman who had a baby girl that had 12 fingers and toes and 6 nipples. 2 nipples above where your normal nipples are and 2 below. The nipples were all the same size and the fingers had no bones.
my eyes change based on the weather, so does my hair colour. Ill have baby blue eyes and red hair in the summer, nd dark hazel and dirty blonde in the winter
Load More Replies...A lot of these are not actually noteworthy, and I say that with the utmost respect. What I mean is they are "mildly interesting", but in the end they don't define any of these people. These people's characters define who they are, and without getting to know these (no doubt wonderful) people, I can't really care about different coloured eyelashes or anything like that, but they mean something special and unique to themselves and their loved ones (which is what matters). I hope people understand where I'm coming from. I mean no disrespect to any of these people whatsoever. Their actions define who they are, not their genetic abnormalities. I would love if we are able to get interviews with these people to learn more about them and their life stories without focusing on any of these "abnormalities" listed. Again, I hope none of this comes off as disrespectful or anything negative as that is far, far from my intention.
There seems to be an unusual number of "doctors" in all these feeds... My eyes are tired from rolling.
did everyone else started checking their hands and toes for any similarities like the picture above, or was it just me?
Yup. Although I have known my fingers for 25 years I took a look to see if I have all of them or if they are identical and "normal". I forgot to brain apparently.
Load More Replies...One odd thing about myself: I have two skin flaps covering the inside of each of my cheeks. And yes, I can stuff food inside of them like a chipmunk
That is so very cool! I’d love to see a picture of them!
Load More Replies...I think this post might help spread awarness to people with birth defects. Its not funny they get made fun of or bullied,over something no one could control...its a real problem in this world...
Yes, I agree, it's a big problem that people with physical differences are often forgotten or hidden away. One person who has made it a personal mission to introduce many of these hidden people by giving them a platform on a well designed YouTube channel. I'm talking about SBSK (special books by special kids) Chris travels around to interview extraordinary kids and their families, with the intention of shining a light on people who want to be seen and acknowledged. Unfortunately, Chris is now fighting for his channel's voice, which has been silenced by YouTube's new comment policies for children's channels. Read about it here: http://youtu.be/Wy7Tvo-q63o
Load More Replies...I knew someone who was born without knuckles in all of their fingers. I never noticed it really until she told me she was scared that her daughter would be born like her. I was like whaaa??? When she showed me her hands I could not believe it. She said her brother had it too and he was so upset at the fact that he could never do a fist and do boxing or fight.
My second toes are much longer than my big toes. It's supposed to be a hold over from Neanderthal genes.
My father told me people like that are smarter (he & I both have it) LOL
Load More Replies...Very cool! I’m a nurse, and the human body, is endlessly fascinating to me and always has been!
I can dislocate my hips, turn my legs outwards, and im double jointed in both thumbs, not as exciting as any of these though.
I have a few odd things about me. One of the most intriguing besides being "double jointed" in my elbows and able to make them reach one another and twist my arms in bizarre ways that I find perfectly normal, is that I have a sacral dimple--which is a small indentation just above the crease of my buttocks where my tailbone probably is. I used to think this was perfectly normal until my mother brought it up to me. I also have two bony growths in the bottom of my mouth just between my tongue called mandibular tori. I also have a slightly lazy eye that wanders off to the side if you look long enough.
The tailbone one is interesting to me. I’m also double jointed in my arms (specifically elbow), I can move them back in the wrong direction about 45 degrees
Load More Replies...The only thing I can do is push my right shoulder out the socket and twist it stupidly. Not nearly as impressive as grabbing things backwards
When I was born ( way back in 1947 )...my dad said he bet the nurses he could pick me out without seeing me, or my name...he did ! Seems that my second & third toes on both feet were a lot longer then my big toes ( I've always hated for anyone to see my feet).Turned out to be a curse...I now have hammer toes !
I think all of these are so amazing and cool! Like, wow, I would feel lucky if I even just knew one of those people! : D
I wonder if the extra fingers and toes are becoming part of evolution? And that humans in the future will all have 12 fingers and 12 toes...
Considering that evolution, at the basic, essentially works in two (for a lack of a better term) time-scales that are short-term and long-term. Short-term selects for clear advantages and long-term deselects for clear disadvantages, and I'm sure many (most? all?) shown here would fall under the latter one so I see no reason why they wouldn't increase. Though honestly speaking, humanity has largely sidestepped evolution due to our medical science.
Load More Replies...My tongue is very long.I can make it long and thin or wide and thick its very weird!!
i have a hole in my left ear. looks like a piercing hole but if you squeeze it juice comes out
I'm a mutant too. Apart from #28 (a much bigger big toe). My middle fingers are like swapped. They are not straight and pointing outwardly. It didn't mention here. Not sure if this is another kind of mutant syndrome
The middle digits of both my hands and feet bend out at the tip. I inherited it from my mother.
I have those same two swirls in my hair that give a natural mohawk. And I have a grey streak right down the center of my head like a skunk.
My eyes are so brown they're pretty much black, to the point you can't see the pupil even in light. It's pretty amazing but pales in comparison to the other eyes on this post. I might be the first person to have pure black eyes in the world!
How cool! Mine were that black when I was young & I have large irises. The admin at elementary school called me Frying Pan Eyes (like Fred Flintstone's term of endearment for Wilma Flintstone). In my late teens they started changing to hazel w dark brown, gold & green. I wish they'd stayed really dark.
Load More Replies...I can completely rotate my shoulders with my hands holding each other. How? I pop them out of my sockets!
I have a form of ehlers- danlos syndrome that gives me a great deal of flexibility known as hypermobility. Sounds cool, looks really neat like that person who can grab things backwards but unfortunately it comes with the hefty consequence of severe injuries, dislocations, bruising, muscle tearing, and the list goes on. That's just one version of it. There's as of right now to my knowledge 14 different types of EDS. I got hEDS. Trying to find the genetic defect for that one still has drs scratching their heads... at least it granted me a youthful appearance which makes our seem like im hardly aging. That's really the only nice part of it.
Hmm, until now I thought those things below my tongue were normal...
I knew a woman who had a baby girl that had 12 fingers and toes and 6 nipples. 2 nipples above where your normal nipples are and 2 below. The nipples were all the same size and the fingers had no bones.
my eyes change based on the weather, so does my hair colour. Ill have baby blue eyes and red hair in the summer, nd dark hazel and dirty blonde in the winter
Load More Replies...A lot of these are not actually noteworthy, and I say that with the utmost respect. What I mean is they are "mildly interesting", but in the end they don't define any of these people. These people's characters define who they are, and without getting to know these (no doubt wonderful) people, I can't really care about different coloured eyelashes or anything like that, but they mean something special and unique to themselves and their loved ones (which is what matters). I hope people understand where I'm coming from. I mean no disrespect to any of these people whatsoever. Their actions define who they are, not their genetic abnormalities. I would love if we are able to get interviews with these people to learn more about them and their life stories without focusing on any of these "abnormalities" listed. Again, I hope none of this comes off as disrespectful or anything negative as that is far, far from my intention.
There seems to be an unusual number of "doctors" in all these feeds... My eyes are tired from rolling.