This article is part of a fortnightly column exploring contemporary concepts and issues in genetics.
The human nose is an intriguing feature that holds significance in various aspects of our lives. Beyond its practical function, to facilitate our breathing and sense of smell, the nose has long been associated with notions of beauty, deception, and other aspects of historical significance. Different cultures and societies have their own standards of beauty, and the shape, size, and proportion of the nose have often contributed to these ideals. We can also observe the importance of the nose in art, literature, and other remnants of ancient civilisations.
Identification of facial ‘landmarks’ and computing the distance between them has been one of the key ingredients of facial recognition, which is widely used around the world to recognise and identify faces, in biometric-based security services, and in a wide variety of other day-to-day applications – including, importantly, surveillance.
