Table of contents:
- 1. Identical twin fingerprints do not match exactly
- 2. The facial and body features of identical twins may not be the same
- 3. Twins have interacted with each other since in the womb
- 4. Some conjoined twins can feel and taste what one child feels
- 5. Twins are not necessarily telepathic
- 6. Twins have their own language
- 7. Twins with different fathers? May be!
- 8. Twins can vary in age up to months - even years
- 9. If one of the twins is gay, the other isn't necessarily
Twins are a birth phenomenon that is so special that not all regions have the same opportunities. Central Africa is ranked first in the world with the highest twin birth rate with 18 pairs of twins per 1,000 births. Benin, a country in Central Africa, has an average twin birth rate of 27.9 pairs of twins per 1,000 births. Meanwhile, Asia and Latin America have significantly lower rates of twins, at less than eight per 1,000 births, according to Live Science.
Check out the article below to find out more surprising facts about twins
1. Identical twin fingerprints do not match exactly
You might think that a pair of identical twins have the same fingerprints because they also share almost the exact same DNA strand. Well, this is not true. Fingerprints are not generated solely on the basis of DNA "destiny." When identical twins are still in the womb, they initially have the same fingerprints, but from the sixth to 13th week of pregnancy, as the baby is able to move a lot, each child touches a different area of the amniotic sac. This activity affects the shape of the grooves and turns of each child's fingerprint, resulting in a unique and different fingerprint.
The navel of twins is also not identical. The navel is a scar from the severing of the umbilical cord after birth, so the shape of the umbilical cord is not caused by genetics.
2. The facial and body features of identical twins may not be the same
About 25 percent of identical twins develop in utero facing each other, which means they are an accurate reflection of each other. One child may be right-handed and the other left-handed, have a birthmark on opposite sides of their body, or have curls of hair that twist in opposite directions. This occurs when the twins separate from one fertilized egg after more than one week after fertilization.
3. Twins have interacted with each other since in the womb
In 2011, researchers at Umberto Castiello of the University of Padova in Italy studied 3D videos of twins in their mother's womb. At 14 weeks of pregnancy, this pair of twins is seen reaching for each other. At week 18, they were seen touching each other more than touching themselves. The researchers said that kinematic analysis of the footage revealed that the twins made different movements towards one another and were just as gentle when touching the eye area of the other twins when they touched themselves.
4. Some conjoined twins can feel and taste what one child feels
A pair of conjoined twins, Krista and Tatiana Hogan, are able to feel what the other twins are going through and understand each other's thoughts. When the eyes of one of the twins are away from the television, he can laugh too when the other twins are looking at the image that flashes right before his eyes. This sensory exchange, researchers believe, also extends to the sense of taste: Krista likes ketchup, and Tatiana doesn't, a newfound preference when Tatiana tries to lick leftover tomato sauce off her plate, even when Tatiana isn't eating at all.
The two conjoined twins are connected to the head via the "thalamic bridge," a part of the brain that acts as a kind of controller for a number of neural activities in the brain and filters out most sensory input. But…
5. Twins are not necessarily telepathic
There are many anecdotal stories surrounding the telepathic abilities of twins. Sometimes, one of the twins experiences a physical sensation that reflects what is happening to the other twin (such as labor pain or a heart attack). Other times, they find that they perform the same actions when they are separated, such as buying the same item, ordering the same meal at a restaurant, or picking up the phone to make a call at the same time. They may appear to know each other's thoughts, speaking at the same time or completing each other's sentences.
Decades of experts and scientists have proven telepathy, there is no strong and reliable scientific evidence that can prove that this supernatural psychic power is real, either in the general human population or specifically between twins. However, even though the scientific evidence is inadequate, personal experiences cannot be denied. "Telepathy" between twins occurs for reasons that are not clear, some believe it is just a natural instinct of a much stronger sibling.
6. Twins have their own language
If you've ever seen twins speak strangely like gibberish, you've probably witnessed idioglossia - the autonomous language between twins. About 40 percent of twins create their own language. Researchers believe that super-close siblings (they don't really have to be twins, but usually) sometimes use each other as models for learning vocabulary, applying sound meanings - when adult role models are absent, even if they are voices. which is bullshit. Usually their unique language disappears as their vocabulary knowledge grows and becomes richer - and by the time children start school, but not always.
7. Twins with different fathers? May be!
Eits, don't be surprised just yet. A woman can secrete two eggs during ovulation and then be fertilized by two different men in fairly close terms at the same time - also known as heteropaternal superfecundation. Sperm can live long enough in the uterus (3-5 days) to open up opportunities for pregnancy, each sperm can fertilize one egg, producing twins. This phenomenon of different paternity twins is quite common in dogs and cats, but very rare in humans. Interestingly, twins with different fathers can also have different races and ethnicities, depending on their respective fathers.
Heteropaternal superfecundation can also occur as a result of a failed IVF procedure, in which the sperm of the father / selected donor is mixed with other sperm samples during the process.
8. Twins can vary in age up to months - even years
A very rare condition called superfetation occurs when a pregnant woman continues to have her period and a second embryo forms from it. Often times, the last conceived fetus (youngest twins) will be born prematurely, while the first baby will be born on time. But in some cases, twins are born on the same day.
Twins who are quite far apart can also be the result of IVF. Take Ruben Blake and his twin brother, Floren, for example, who are five years apart. Both Ruben and Floren's parents underwent IVF and implanted two embryos in the mother's womb. Only one thing worked: Reuben. Then, the couple decided to freeze the other embryos. Several years later, they planted another embryo and Ruben's twin sister, Floren, was born into the world.
"Actually, it depends on how you interpret the term 'twins' - twins generally mean children born at the same time," says Valentine Akande, MD, chief physician and director of fertility facilities at the Bristol Center for Reproductive Medicine. . "But, yes, twins born from the same set of embryos, taken from the same treatment cycle are also twins - just born at different times."
9. If one of the twins is gay, the other isn't necessarily
Identical twins come from a single fertilized egg that contains a set of genetic instructions, known as the genome, but it's still possible for a pair of identical twins to have huge differences in their genetics. Identical twins share a common DNA base, but epigenetic changes during pregnancy can make a big difference in what happens to them later in life.
New research suggests that the clues to sexual orientation may lie not only in genes, but in the gaps between DNA, where molecular markers instruct genes when to turn on and off and decide how strong the genetic expression is. From the time a child is conceived to its lifetime, genetic changes can occur, and they can be passed down from generation to generation. This is known as an epigenetic change. The code that underlies DNA remains unchanged, but how genes are expressed - how they work - can change.
In identical twins, the DNA is shared together and overlaps perfectly. However, the existence of twins in which one is homosexual and the other does not offer solid evidence that other factors besides DNA also influence sexual orientation. Ngun, a postdoctoral researcher at UCLA Geffen School of Medicine, reported by the LA Times combing genetic samples from 47 male pairs of identical twins. He was able to identify "epigenetic markers" in nine regions of the human genome that are strongly associated with male homosexuality. Thirty-seven of the pairs of twins consist of one gay twin while the other is heterosexual. Only 10 of the subjects had twins whose twins identified themselves as homosexual.
