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APC_ChemE t1_j0dyxdz wrote

There's a difference between the raw DNA code and how the genes are actually expressed. I recall reading about a wealthy woman who cloned her cat so she could raise it again and the cloned cat had totally different color pattern and personality but identical DNA.

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bigchungusmode96 t1_j0eg709 wrote

Epigenetics is an interesting field

If DNA was code, gene expression is akin to how many times you call those functions

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schludy t1_j0dtk15 wrote

Technical questions aside, even if it was possible, I think it's ethically very questionable.

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st4s1k OP t1_j0dtuwz wrote

I'm just curious if it's possible to predict someone's precise face using DNA

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LanceCriminalGalen t1_j0e2tyd wrote

I don’t think precisely but I would assume the result would be enough to make you stop and wonder at the power of machine learning. It would make something that looked like a generic cousin.

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jakderrida t1_j0e4mu6 wrote

>It would make something that looked like a generic cousin.

That sounds incredibly impressive, if they can. If we can train DNA to mugshot-style photo enough to generate it from other DNA samples, I would think it would allow us a much better conception of what ancient peoples whose DNA we have actually looked like. Every time I see some computer-rendered depiction, I wonder how close they'd get with my DNA.

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NinoIvanov t1_j0e64wx wrote

No. And even if you look at "identical" twins — who were developed not only from the same DNA, but also in the same nutritional, hormonal and biochemical environment — they are highly similar, but not "identical".

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aussie_punmaster t1_j0e7bhl wrote

Yet they are similar enough to be identified as identical twins. That’s what you’d be aiming for here, not perfection.

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jakderrida t1_j0e94ka wrote

I'd imagine since the aim to predict (or generate?) a photo of the person, OP is tolerant of much more imperfection than you're thinking.

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EazyShortz t1_j0dq0bj wrote

I wonder if that's more a question for biologists? A very interesting idea.

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LanceCriminalGalen t1_j0e2o8o wrote

My first thought as a biologist is you may get a general template with certain traits like eye, hair and skin tone more easily identifiable than bone or muscle density underlying the facial features. I am super interested in this question now that I see it. Based on my hobby use of gpt-3 it seems possible to train it on the genetic data available on ncbi.

A persons immune system is dictated by a system of genes called the HLA or human leukocyte antigen genes. So a persons ability to have tissue transplanted to another person could be predicted by these algorithms with some training I would bet. Maybe a big registry of possible donors and possible recipients could be created but then that brings up the ethical side of things with patient data and the 5 patient problem.

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NinoIvanov t1_j0e79az wrote

Let's say, this is an issue of degree, rather than a black-and-white issue. For instance, if you have human DNA, rather than elephant or horse DNA, you can assume a human will come out.

If you can get an idea, will it be Asian, Caucasian, African,... — you can get therefrom a general idea, too.

But that is as far as it gets, sort of: humans look vastly different based on minor details. Think of actors in different roles. The closest you could get is a sort of "cohort" of possibilities for the looks.

Behavior, I trust, will be even less reliable.

An AI could "hallucinate" a "solution", sure, the way they "sharpen" images. But that would be A solution, not THE solution.

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jakderrida t1_j0e9crf wrote

>An AI could "hallucinate" a "solution", sure, the way they "sharpen" images.

I like the clever use of "hallucinate" there.

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estomacVeloce t1_j0dwi6d wrote

If you take humanity as your training set you might be able to overfit that successfully

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SpoodlyPoofs t1_j0e4970 wrote

Assuming the data is there then yes, but youll need headshots of everyone AND there DNA sequence and permission, cuz im sure thatd piss alot of people off

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SmoothBrainSoftware t1_j0e4vr3 wrote

I feel like it should output a range of possible faces bc of factors like dna methylation etc which impact people's appearance as they grow.

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ArgonJargon t1_j0duwmt wrote

more interesting would be to predict interest and "mind", probably that's why Sergey Brin married Anne Wojcicki, probably the results weren't good though cause they split

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