A recent study found that a person who looks almost identical to another person also had similar DNA traits.

"Look-alike humans identified by facial recognition algorithms show genetic similarities," according to the study published Tuesday in the journal Cell Reports.

The study's lead researcher, Dr. Manel Esteller, who also serves as a researcher at a Leukemia institute in Barcelona, was inspired by photographer Francois Brunelle's photo series "I'm not a look-alike!" which involved hundreds of unrelated doppelgangers. Esteller sought to understand the DNA of people who look alike but aren't related.

Esteller and his team used 32 pairs of people. The study found that 16 of the pairs had similar overall scores to identical twins analyzed by the same software.

"These people really look alike because they share important parts of the genome, or the DNA sequence," Esteller said.

The study noted that "the human face is one of the most visible features of our unique identity as individuals. Interestingly, monozygotic twins share almost identical facial traits and the same DNA sequence but could exhibit differences in other biometrical parameters."

The study also said that new knowledge about DNA can help answer some questions that have been asked for a long time relating to "nature versus nurture" and could provide insight into "different population traits and distinct penetrance of diseases in these people."

"These results not only provide insights about the genetics that determine our face but also might have implications for the establishment of other human anthropometric properties and even personality characteristics," the study said.