Branchio-oculo-facial syndrome Branchio-oculo-facial syndrome Branchio-oculo-facial syndrome (BOFS) is a disease that arises from a mutation in the TFAP2A gene. It is a rare autosomal dominant disorder that starts to affect a child's development before birth. Symptoms of this condition include skin abnormalities on the neck, deformities of the ears and eyes, and other distinctive facial features such a cleft lip along with slow growth, mental retardation and premature graying of hair. "Branchio" refers to the branchial arches, also known as the pharyngeal arches, of the affected individual. The branchial arches are structures in the developing embryo that give rise to certain tissues
Facial expression have even shown that there are similarities between species in how emotions are expressed. Research has shown that chimpanzees are able to communicate many of the same facial expressions as humans through the complex movements of the facial muscles. In fact, the facial cues were so similar that Ekman's Facial Action Coding System could be applied to the chimps in evaluating their expressions. Of course, differences between the species' physical facial properties, such as white sclera and everted lips in chimps, would mean that some expressions could not be compared. Similarly, Darwin observed that infants' method of expression for certain