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People only just realising very common feature makes them ‘mutants’

People only just realising very common feature makes them ‘mutants’

The news has come as quite a shock to some

Although we all have different features, skin tones and appearances, there are a few things which make the eight billion of us on this planet alike.

Take the blue-eyed brigade who bond over the colour of their iris, redheads connecting over their hair care regimen, or those with a jawline from the Gods jostling down a catwalk together.

Sadly, we can't all look like supermodels, but we all have our own characteristics which make us unique.

In turn, this may mean that you are technically a 'mutant' by default - which is news to most people.

A lot of humans had a bit of a shock while watching a viral video created by The Institute of Human Anatomy (IOHA), which explained that if you have a certain adorable facial feature, it pretty much means that you 'are basically in X-Men'.

That might sound like a dream for superhero fans, but the revelation didn't exactly sit well with most viewers.

The video explaining where dimples come from left has people stunned (TikTok/@instituteofhumananatomy)
The video explaining where dimples come from left has people stunned (TikTok/@instituteofhumananatomy)

IOHA specialises in 'anatomical education' and aims to inform people on human anatomy and how our bodies work, so this area of science is really their forte.

It often shares some pretty gruesome, but downright informative, clips online while using bits and pieces from human cadavers to help illustrate to viewers what their own insides look like.

The clip that was shared online by the private laboratory, based in Salt Lake City, Utah, caused a stir while breaking down why some people have dimples and others do not.

One joked: "Where is Wolverine with my contract for joining the X-Men?

Another said: "People think skeletons are scary...Wait until the whole ass muscular system walks in on you at midnight."

A third wrote: "Well, I guess I'm a mutant."

A fourth added: "Fascinating! I should use this factoid to explain everything else about me."

And a fifth chimed in: "Bro, I'm a mutation?!"

But what on earth was it about dimples that left everyone feeling like a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle all of a sudden?

The indentations in our cheeks are all because of a muscle known as the Zygomaticus major (TikTok/@instituteofhumananatomy)
The indentations in our cheeks are all because of a muscle known as the Zygomaticus major (TikTok/@instituteofhumananatomy)

Well, according to the IOHA, people who have the small indentations in their cheeks might have a little bit more in common with Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michelangelo than they first thought.

The video explained: "Some of you are mutants.

"And the reason I say that is because you have a mutation which causes this muscle, called Zygomaticus major - which by the way is responsible for smiling - you can see that it connects to the side of the lip here, so when it contracts, it would kind of swing those lips up for a smile.

"But if you had this mutation, it could cause this muscle to split.

"And if it does that, one end of the muscle will actually blend with the cheeks right here, so when it contracts, it pulls the skin down and you get a dimple.


The video ends by saying that 'those of you who have dimples' should be 'super proud' about that fact.

Dimples - which are considered a good luck charm or a sign of beauty in many cultures - are basically the result of a facial muscle anomaly.

The Zygomaticus major, which controls your facial expressions, is a single band in most people - but for those with dimples, it is in two parts.

This allows the skin to dimple when the muscle contracts as you are giving someone a Hollywood smile.

As a person who proudly displays matching dimples on each cheek, I can't say I'm that surprised we're all considered mutants - although I prefer the word 'special'.

Featured Image Credit: Instagram/theanotomylab

Topics: Health, Weird, Science, News