The Science Behind Doppelgangers: Genetics
In science, the concept of doppelgangers is a bit complex. Michael Sheehan, a neurobiology and behavior researcher at Cornell University, told Gizmodo that the cultural phenomenon of doppelgangers is a matter of genetics and neuroscience. Sheehan studies variation in animals, analyzing why some species are basically entire populations of doppelgangers while others are super variable, like those who have flamboyant colors.
When it comes to human genetics, Sheehan said some people may look more similar because they have some level of more recent shared ancestry. They may also have shared ancestry from different, yet similar, populations.
