From a hatred of coriander to a fear of heights, some of your most bizarre quirks have been passed on by your parents
Young Post is a unit ofSouth China Morning Post
Rhea is a Hong Kong-based journalist interested in gender issues and minority rights, whose work has appeared in a number of publications across Asia. She is also on the 2019 Diversity List: a list of ethnic minorities that are qualified to serve on Hong Kong government committees.
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Love spicy food? You may have gotten that trait from your ancestors!
We have our parents to thank for a lot of things, like giving us a good life and loving us unconditionally. But there are a few things which - depending on how you look at it - might not necesarily require a "thank you".
These include the bizzarre traits that we have inherited from them, which we probably never realised were determined by our genes at all.
From coriander tasting like soap, to being able to roll your tongue, here are five things that we have inherited from our parents.
1. A hatred for coriander
Believe it or not, the reason there is so much divide over this herb is because some people have a genetic trait which makes coriander taste soapy. The rest of us can't understand how this delicious leaf can make anyone coil in disgust.
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2. The ability to smell "asparagus pee"
Extremely gross, but also a semi super power, some people have the ability to smell when they have eaten asparagus, all because of their pee. What we don't know is asparagus actually makes everyone's pee smell funny, it's just that a handful of people that have been "gifted" with the ability to experience it. This is due to a single mutation on a cluster of genes that affect our olfactory receptors. Put simply, blame your mum and dad for your sense of smell.
3. Rolling your tongue
The ability to roll our tongues is determined by genetics. Not one single gene, but likely a batch of genes. While it's not a life-changing ability, it makes a fun party trick!
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4. Tolerance to pain and spicy food
According to research, the same gene that gives people pale skin and red hair, gene MCR1, might also be associated with how well we handle physical pain and spicy food.
5. Fear of heights
Your - sometimes - irrational fears are probably inherited by our ancestors. Next time your parents tell you, "it's just a spider", feed them with this information.
Rhea is a Hong Kong-based journalist interested in gender issues and minority rights, whose work has appeared in a number of publications across Asia. She is also on the 2019 Diversity List: a list of ethnic minorities that are qualified to serve on Hong Kong government committees.
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