DNA mystery: earwax and deodorant
Humans have two distinct earwax types: wet and dry. A single base in the ABCC11 gene is the biggest influencing factor — and the same gene affects apocrine sweat glands, i.e. deodorant need.
Which earwax type is most common in Northern Europe?
Wet earwax dominates in Europe — dry dominates in East Asia.
The marker rs17822931 in ABCC11 determines with very strong linkage whether earwax is dry or wet. In Northern Europe most people carry the variant giving wet wax; in East Asia the dry variant is most common.
The same gene also affects sweat glands in the armpits — many with the dry-wax variant experience lower body odor. An association, not a verdict for every individual.
Marker: ABCC11 — rs17822931. Look it up, or check your own variant against your raw data file — locally in the browser, no upload.