<p>It is a long
standing question as to which genes define the characteristic facial features
among different ethnic groups. In this study, we use Uyghurs, an ancient
admixed population to query the genetic bases why Europeans and Han Chinese
look different. Facial traits were analyzed based on high-dense 3D facial
images; numerous biometric spaces were examined for divergent facial features
between European and Han Chinese, ranging from inter-landmark distances to
dense shape geometrics. Genome-wide association analyses were conducted on a
discovery panel of Uyghurs. Six significant loci were identified four of which,
rs1868752, rs118078182, rs60159418 at or near <i>UBASH3B</i>, <i>COL23A1</i>, <i>PCDH7 </i>and rs17868256 were replicated in
independent cohorts of Uyghurs or Southern Han Chinese. A quantitative model was
developed to predict 3D faces based on 277 top GWAS SNPs. In hypothetic
forensic scenarios, this model was found to significantly enhance the verification
rate in males, suggesting a practical potential of related research. </p