--- title: DNA Samples Could Produce 3D Mugshots, Study Indicates description: Scientists have found that certain genes that are associated with distinct facial features canonical: https://time.com/33046/dna-sample-3d-mugshot/ author: Per Liljas article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-03-21T08:14:34.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-21T06:53:26.121Z article:section: Science og:title: DNA Samples Could Produce 3D Mugshots, Study Indicates og:description: Scientists have found that certain genes that are associated with distinct facial features og:url: https://time.com/33046/dna-sample-3d-mugshot/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5996cefdf392a6e1/6986868613c79f84d119127d/462484143.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: 462484143 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: DNA Samples Could Produce 3D Mugshots, Study Indicates twitter:description: Scientists have found that certain genes that are associated with distinct facial features twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5996cefdf392a6e1/6986868613c79f84d119127d/462484143.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 3D Mugshots Created From DNA Samples? It's a Tantalizing Possibility by [Per Liljas](https://time.com/author/per-liljas/) ## Per Liljas Mar 21, 2014 8:14 AM UTC  An officer at the forensic laboratory of the Turkish National Police. In the future, crime busters might be able to create mugshots from a single strand of hair An officer at the forensic laboratory of the Turkish National Police. In the future, crime busters might be able to create mugshots from a single strand of hairHalil Sagirkaya—Anadolu Agency/Getty Images by [Per Liljas](https://time.com/author/per-liljas/) ## Per Liljas Mar 21, 2014 8:14 AM UTC If the technology keeps making headway, CSI teams can expect an [enormously powerful tool](http://www.nature.com/news/mugshots-built-from-dna-data-1.14899) in the future: three-dimensional mug shots gleaned from a single strand of hair. Researchers led by anthropologist Mark Shriver of Pennsylvania State University published a study in PLOS Genetics Thursday, outlining their attempts to understand how the genetic code shapes our facial appearance. By creating 3D-models of 592 people of mixed European and West African ancestry, and comparing the subjects’ genomes, the scientists pinpointed 24 ‘single nucleotide polymorphisms’ (SNP) that were significantly associated with facial shape. However, seemingly rudimentary characteristics like sizes are so far proving extremely challenging to predict. “One thing we’re certain of: there’s no single gene that suddenly makes your nose big or small,” says Kun Tang, a biologist at the Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences in China. Tang’s research team has however managed to find a gene that strongly predicts lip shape in Han Chinese women. As for crime scene investigations, though, it seems like the police will have to stick to good old, well-tested forensics methods for a little while yet. \[[Nature](http://www.nature.com/news/mugshots-built-from-dna-data-1.14899)\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/33046/dna-sample-3d-mugshot/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/33046/dna-sample-3d-mugshot/"},"headline":"3D Mugshots Created From DNA Samples? It's a Tantalizing Possibility","datePublished":"2014-03-21T08:14:34.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T06:53:26.121Z","description":"Scientists have found genes that are associated with defining facial features","url":"https://time.com/33046/dna-sample-3d-mugshot/","keywords":["Genetics","DNA"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5996cefdf392a6e1/6986868613c79f84d119127d/462484143.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Per Liljas","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/per-liljas/"}],"articleSection":"Science","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5996cefdf392a6e1/6986868613c79f84d119127d/462484143.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"462484143","caption":"An officer at the forensic laboratory of the Turkish National Police. In the future, crime busters might be able to create mugshots from a single strand of hair","creditText":"Halil Sagirkaya—Anadolu Agency/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/science/","name":"Science"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/genetics/","name":"Genetics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/33046/dna-sample-3d-mugshot/","name":"3D Mugshots Created From DNA Samples? It's a Tantalizing Possibility"}}]}] ```