The debate over the extent to which our personalities are determined by nature relative to the extent they're dictated by nurture has been raging for as long as we've been aware of the delineation.
Are you a product of your environment, as Jim Jones tells it, or baby were you born this way, like Lady Gaga? The answer, of course, is a little of both. Science, however, is still not sure how much of either makes you you.
But, as Shape relates, there are a few traits you can definitively trace to your genes. You may blame your parents for never buying you that pony you always wanted, or for embarrassing you in front of your friends with failed attempts at hipness — but you can implicate them in your sneezing patterns. Some 20 to 30% of people have the "photic sneeze reflex," meaning that they sneeze when their eyes are abruptly exposed to a light source. You can test whether or not you have this reflex by spending a few minutes in a dark room and then turning on a light and looking directly at it. If you sneeze, it's a good sign you've got this quirky gene — thanks, Mom and Dad.
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Another funky trait you may have inherited is foul-smelling urine. Roughly 20% of people have a mutation that means they can smell the sulfur in their pee after they eat asparagus. (Scientists don't have an explanation for either the photic sneeze reflex or this asparagus-pee-smelling superpower.) While neither of these qualities would seem to have much effect on your life, according to Shape, your genes hold sway over your ideological leanings, too. Click through to find out how, and for the full list of surprisingly weird inherited traits. (Shape)
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