Can You Tell We’re Related?
My mom was 16 (almost 17) when I was born. I’m four years older than my sister, Becky, six years older than my brother, Bill, and 32 years older than my sister Angelina. When looking at the five of us, the differences are obvious. But what about the similarities among the five of us? Is there a DNA connection?
I decided to ask AI to analyze the features of the five of us and describe the similarities among us. I also added various combinations of my mother, my siblings, and me to see if that made a difference in discovering family traits common to all of us.
I used both ChatGPT and Google Gemini to determine if there was consistency and a real likelihood of a DNA connection. And the verdict is…both generative AI chatbot’s results were nearly identical. The first family trait listed was “warm, expressive smiles with a consistent smile shape.” More commonalities listed were friendly eyes that crinkle slightly at the corners when we smile; gently almond-shaped eyes; matching cheek contouring (full, prominent cheeks) when smiling; oval-to-softly rectangular facial structures with well-proportioned, defined jawlines, and smooth chins; similar straight nose bridge with a softly rounded nose tip; and broad foreheads.
According to Gemini, “These points of resemblance create a clear family likeness, demonstrating the shared genetics that connect you to your mother.”
I decided to extend my exploration of maternal family traits by having AI analyze the features of my mother, Geraldine McLeod Watkins Bernal, my grandmother, Anna Anthony McLeod, and my great grandmother Gertrude Schmidt Anthony.
After analyzing the features of these three women, AI states, “The line of descent across these three generations shows remarkable consistency in facial structure, expressions, and overall poise.” It also states, “There is a shared warmth in their gaze, even across the varying eras of photography.” In addition to the almond-shaped eyes, other distinct family traits include the nose with a defined bridge and a softly rounded tip, prominent cheekbones, a rounded chin area, and a soft, oval face shape. It’s interesting to see the distinct family features that have continued throughout the generations.
Ancestry.com has a feature for determining the likelihood that you may have inherited certain traits from your parents. “Both parents pass down DNA for each trait, but some DNA has more influence. We can find the DNA with the most influence and tell you which parent it came from.” Based on DNA, my siblings and I may have inherited the following traits from our mother:
- Likely to gray early
- Morning person
- Likely to enjoy spicy foods
- Likely to drink a lot more caffeine than average
- Likely to be competitive
- Likely motivated by success
- Less trend-oriented (fashion)
- Likely to prefer individual sports
- Dislikes scary movies
Sometimes it’s easier to see the differences – age, gender, skin tone, hair color, hair style, fashion choices, etc. than those traits that have continued through generations. The inherited traits, however, can help us feel connected to our relatives and ancestors; they contribute to our identity.