8 Curiosities About Twins

Surely, more than once you have come across twin babies and it will have been difficult for you to differentiate them. According to statistics, three out of every thousand pregnancies are of identical twins. These are the result of a zygote that divides at a very early stage, generating two identical babies, even with the same DNA. There are many myths and curiosities about twins, so we want to show you some facts that you may not know.

Importantly, twins and twins are not the same. The “identical” twins share most of the genetic material, because both were born from the same fertilized egg divided in two after conception. While twins are born from two or more different fertilized eggs in the same hormonal cycle.

Curiosities about twins

During the last decade, the cases of twins and triplets have increased considerably mainly due to assisted fertilization and other types of medical treatments that help to conceive. In these processes, identical twins are not obtained, since it is not something that can only occur naturally. There are many interesting facts and curiosities about twins, we present some:

1. They have different fingerprints

When we see two totally identical children, we may think that they have the same fingerprints, but this is not the case. When babies are forming, according to the North American media Huffington Post, both separately touch the amniotic sac in different places, this causes different lines to form on their fingers and, therefore, they do not have the same fingerprints. .

Also, one of the curiosities about twins is the fact that  22% of identical twins are left-handed compared to a percentage of only 10% of the total population.

2. They are not as identical as they seem

According to statistics, twins are literally the “reflection of the other”. 25% of children develop as if they were looking straight ahead, that is, if one is left-handed, the other is right-handed. If, for example, one of the children has a birthmark on the right arm, the other will have the same birthmark but on the left arm. Of course, identical twins share brain and thought patterns.

3. Twins do not have telepathic powers.

Many people think that twins have these kinds of superpowers or that they have a different ability to communicate with their other brother, but they do not. As Discovery indicates, this is just a myth that has been spread over the years.

Siblings have never been proven to be mentally connected in any special or different way. As both grow together, it is very normal that they know each other perfectly, which causes this belief to take much more force and spread.

4. The case of “the twins Jim”

These identical siblings from Minnesota were separated within 4 weeks of their birth. Both were adopted by different families and met when they reached 39 years of age. Her story was published in the book  Entwined Lives , by Nancy Segal.

Although they grew up without any interaction, they both measured and weighed the same. In terms of their tastes, they both had the same favorite beach in Florida, were good at math, and shared hobbies like carpentry and mechanical drawing.

5. Twins make contact in the womb

According to research conducted by the University of Padova in Italy, twins seek contact when they are inside the womb and even touch their twin more than themselves. In the cases that have been studied, this has occurred from week 14. According to statistics, conjoined twins represent 1 in every 200 thousand pregnancies.

6. They have their own language

This occurs as a consequence of children growing up together, such as when it is claimed that they have the ability to communicate mentally. But, in reality, this language can also occur in siblings who are not twins, mainly because they live together from a very young age.

It begins as soon as the children are learning to speak, which is why both help each other in this process. This is strengthened because they are very close and even end up inventing their own words, which has often been considered their own and exclusive language.

7. They don’t share their genetic material fully

Although they may appear totally identical, they are not. They share a large part of their genetic material, but not 100%, as is often speculated. According to research from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, some parts of your DNA may differ in the number of genes that make it up. To be considered totally equal, they would have to share 100% of the genes and not have been born simultaneously, according to Discovery.

8. It is not hereditary

This is another of the many myths that revolve around “identical” siblings. There is still no scientific proof that it is a hereditary issue.

What is genetic is the ability to have twins. If there is a case of twins in the family, it is very likely that others may be born. This is due to a consequence of superfertilization, which makes the woman capable of releasing more than one ovum during the same cycle.

Other curiosities about twins

• Women who have twins live longer.
• 25% of twins have the “mirror appearance”.
• They begin to physically differentiate over the years.
• There are cases of identical triplets.
• Eating more dairy increases your chances of having twins.

There are many myths that do not fit the reality of “identical” siblings. Although we have been able to verify some of them, many data still remain a mystery. What can be highlighted about them is that they are united by a strong bond.