Genetics of tongue twisting: Why some people do it while others can’t

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Credit: Ozgur Coskun/Shutterstock.

The term tongue twisting comprises rolling, folding, rotating, adjusting, and turning of the tongue…All aspects of a person are in some way influenced by genetics. Likewise, the tongue structure or its movement is controlled by one’s respective gene pattern…Tongue twisting is not a genetic disease or disorder, but a unique activity by a person using his tongue.

The early history of tongue genetics stated that the ability of tongue twisting is due to the influence of traits…The tongue rolling ability occurs due to the influence of a dominant allele of the gene. A person who has either one or two copies of the dominant allele will be able to twist their tongue. In the case that a person is born with two recessive alleles, they cannot twist their tongue. In most cases, parents with a twisting-tongue ability can give birth to non-tongue twisters, and vice versa.

After a long-drawn out struggle, geneticists and researchers have finally proved that tongue twisting does not occur by genetic transformation. Genetic inheritance has only a minimal role to play in tongue twisting skills.

The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion, and analysis. Read full, original post: Genetics of Tongue Twisting

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