Brazil are gunning for a sixth World Cup title, and one family have come up with their own unique way of supporting them.
The Silva family, from Aaguas Claras, Brasilia, have made headlines in their native Brazil for how they support the Seleção, raising their six fingers as the Brazilian national team are favourites to lift their sixth world title in Qatar.
After the team, managed by Luiz Felipe Scolari, lifted the trophy for the fifth time after the 2002 tournament in South Korea and Japan, the family's genetic mutation gained a special symbolism.
READ MORE: Mum 'going blind' after tattooing eyeballs 'looks like she had 5 rounds with Mike Tyson'
“Since then, we've gathered here at my house to watch the games, cheering for Brazil to win another title.
"In 2022 it would be no different. We decided to add another tradition of preparing typical foods from the opposing countries that the Brazilian team will face in the World Cup," family member Silvia Santos da Silva, aged 60, said.
She added that the first person among her family members to present the genetic variation, known as polydactyly, was her paternal grandmother.
Since then, about 15 members of the family were born with six fingers on each hand and foot.
But since 2018, a World Cup year, no children have been born with the condition.
-
Sicko 'raped' sister, 13, with 'homemade dildos' crafted from pens and syringes
“Since 2018, no one has been born in the family with the condition. Now children are only born with five," Silva told Metropoles.
In 2016, some family members participated in a study in Germany for the scientific journal Nature Communications, about the anomaly in the fingers.
“The research was intended to find out how the brain triggers the sixth finger. They wanted to discover this in order to be able to create better prostheses”, explained Silvia.
The study concluded that the hand with polydactyly is controlled by more muscles and nerves than normal five-fingered hands.
For more incredible stories from the Daily Star, make sure you sign up to one of our newsletters here.
READ NEXT:
- Man 'has sex with mate's dog in public' before destroying church nativity scene
-
Schoolgirl, 11, rushed to hospital with broken bones after vicious dog attack
-
Pit bull that savaged family's pet pooch 'still on the loose and will attack again'
-
Best motorway service stations for drivers travelling with their dogs this Christmas
-
Pet rhea left dripping with blood after dog attack as men in camo shout 'kill it'
Source: Read Full Article