As any mum or dad will know, half the fun of watching your baby grow up is in seeing how much they look like you.
Will they have his green eyes - or your brown ones?
Will their nose crinkle cutely when they smile, just like their daddy? Or will they get dimples in their cheeks, just like their mum?
You can spend hours finding yourself in your baby - not to mention plenty of other relatives.
But, as it now turns out, scientists have claimed that traces of our EX PARTNER could also appear in our little one’s genetic makeup.
Yup, even if it’s not their baby - weird, huh?
Scientists at the University of South Wales observed an instance of telegony (physical traits of previous sexual partners being passed down to future children) during a study on fruit flies.
Apparently the offspring of the flies matched the size of the first male the mother mated with, rather than its biological father.
Professor Russell Bonduriansky, of the University of New South Wales in Australia, explained to the Daily Mail: “Traditionally, the idea is when this type of mating takes place, there is no resource transfer and there is no paternal care.
“Males contribute DNA to fertilise an egg, but we believe there is something more complex going on.”
It is thought that molecules of the semen produced by the mother’s first sexual partner had been absorbed into her immature eggs.
He added: “It is pretty clear now seminal fluid is packed with paternal RNA. And this would be in humans, mice, fruit flies and nematode worms at least.”
Does this mean that RNA from our exes could be playing a role in the development of our unborn children?
Dr Angela Crean, the author of the study, admitted that it IS a possibility - although there is no evidence yet.
She said simply: “We don’t know yet whether this applies to other species.”
Hmm.
Either way, we doubt it matters all that much - after all, the similarities will only be very miniscule.
And a true dad is definied by his parenting skills, after all; it's not just about DNA!
Are you surprised by the findings of this study?
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