Page 92 - South Mississippi Living - June, 2023

How
RARE
Are These
story by Victoria Snyder Heterochromia
This is when someone has two
different colored eyes! It is relatively
common in animals like dogs and
cats, but quite rare among humans.
Research has shown that less than
200,000 people in the United States
have heterochromia. Types of
heterochromia include complete
(two eyes of completely different
colors), sectorial (affecting
only a section of the eye), and central (surrounding the pupil).
Double Row of Eyelashes
A person with a condition called distichiasis will have eyelashes that grow from abnormal locations by their eye, typically seen as having two rows of eyelashes. Because this growth is happening where eyelashes shouldn’t be, it can lead to light sensitivity, eye irritation, eyesight problems, and more. An estimated 1 in 10,000 people have this condition.
Red Hair
While you may not realize it, only around 2% of the world’s population are redheads! Put that together
with another
rare trait, blue eyes, and the likelihood of a redhead with
blue eyes is
less than 1%.
TRAITS? Golden Blood
This blood is not actually gold, but it gets its name from how rare it is! Rh-null blood lacks Rh antigens, which makes it compatible with other rare blood types. Less than 50 people have been reported to have this “golden blood.”
Albinism
People may not realize, but
there are different types of albinism!
Oculocutaneous albinism is the one
most people would think of, where a person has
extremely pale hair, skin, and eyes due to a lack of melanin. Their skin burns very easily, and they commonly have eye problems like poor vision. Ocular albinism is even rarer, and only affects the eyes. Albinism affects roughly 1 in 20,000 people.
Unbreakable Bones
A family in Connecticut was discovered to have a mutation in their LRP5 gene that caused their bones to be extra dense, and therefore practically unbreakable! Since then, a small number of other families with this trait have been discovered.
Cilantro Tasting Like Soap
If you or a loved one don’t like cilantro and think it tastes like soap, you’re not alone. And it’s
not just a preference! The problem is genetic – some people have
olfactory receptor genes that allow individuals to smell aldehyde chemicals,
which are found in cilantro and soap, hence the soapy taste. Approximately 4-14% of the population have this trait.
92 | June 2023 www.smliving.net | SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living