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A team of researchers has decked the halls of science to ascertain whether Santa Claus has a distinguishable facial phenotype. Led by Dr Thomas Wright, a clinical geneticist from the University of Manchester, they’ve developed a deep-learning algorithm dedicated to identifying the jolly old man himself, and armed with a sack full of images of the holiday icon, delved into the question of whether we can spot the man purely by his looks and not his red suit.
Spoiler alert: the results are notably jolly.
The study utilized a sophisticated facial recognition algorithm trained on a multitude of Santa images sourced from the internet. The technology was then employed to scrutinize further pictures of the fictional character, as well as other adult and elderly bearded men.
Importantly, the algorithm was focused solely on facial features, leaving aside the traditional red cap and suit that so often accompany images of St Nick.
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Published in the journal Vision, this research contributes to the broader understanding of facial recognition technology’s applications beyond security and personal identification, venturing into cultural and even mythical realms.
The findings were pretty merry and bright: Santa’s face is, indeed, distinguishable from other bearded men, validating that children’s innate ability to spot him in a crowd may be based on his distinct facial characteristics.
Image via Wright et al / Vision (CC BY 4.0 DEED)
Interestingly, the algorithm successfully differentiated Santa Claus faces from those of Saint Nicholas or Walter Clement Shields, an early 20th-century Alaskan man sometimes proposed as a prototype for the modern likeness of the modern Christmas character. This specificity highlights the precision of the technology and its potential to accurately identify individuals based on facial features alone.
Dr Wright’s team is now intrigued by the idea of developing a “Santa lookalike score” and extending their research to include other festive characters or dedicated Santa impersonators.
Looking ahead, the researchers are keen to apply this Santa-detection technology to other beloved folklore characters, such as Robin Hood or the Tooth Fairy.
As Wright and his colleagues, Chris Law, Ben Wright, and Barry Wright, conclude, “Father Christmas appears to have a distinct facial phenotype when compared to adult men and elderly bearded men,” underscoring the playful yet profound implications of their study on the intersections of technology, culture, and holiday cheer.
“This will be reassuring to children who may be keen to recognize him but raises some interesting questions about the careful use of two-dimensional facial analysis,” they further express.
[via DIY Photography and The Guardian, images via various sources]
by rrollins
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