andrew
You might not know much about twins unless you are close to a pair of them or you’re a mom who has a twin or you have a twin yourself. They look perfect especially when dressed up similarly, or merely staring at a pair of twins’ identical faces is simply amazing.
You can’t deny it, once in your life, you have wanted to have a twin so you can have somebody to push for household chores or somebody to attend your classes on your behalf.
But there are more important things you might not know but should be aware of about twins.
Twins can sometimes come from different biological fathers
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Though it’s more common for a woman to release only one egg cell, it is possible for her to produce two. These cells can be fertilized by two different male donors, thus giving birth to twins with different fathers.
The easiest way to know that twins are apart is the belly button
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No two humans have the same appearance of belly button as they are not genetic and are rather scars of the cut umbilical cord. So if you’re having a hard time telling twins apart, look at their belly buttons.
The twins’ bond shows up even in the womb
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Twins are close with each other even before they are born. While inside their mother’s womb, they reach for each other and would touch their twin more than they touch themselves.
Twins can come from different races
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This happens when the twins’ parents are of different races. Because there is a mix of race, the egg and sperm cells of the father and the mother contain genetic potential for a variety of skin types, producing millions of different outcomes—including a pair of twins that have different skin colors and are of completely different races.
Identical twin children of identical twin parents are genetically considered full siblings, although legally, they are just cousins
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If two different sets of female identical twins and male identical twins will have children, their offspring will have the same genetic components since the genetic pool of the identical parents are obviously identical.
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A mother who has twins tend to live longer
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Mothers who were able to give birth to twins are way healthier than those who weren’t. Those twins are more likely to adapt their mother’s genes.
The second twin can be born moths apart from the first
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Twins can be born a few days or even months apart due to complications like the water in the womb breaking prematurely. The longest recorded interval between a pair of twins’ births is 87 days or almost 3 months.
Women who consume more dairy products than others are more capable of having twins.
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Women who consume dairy products are five times more capable of giving birth to twins.
Taller women have bigger chances of giving birth to twins
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Taller girls have higher levels of growth hormones, and that makes their ovaries more capable to natural twinning. So countries with women who stand taller than the average also have higher numbers of twins in their population.
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Mirror twins are twins who have exact reflections of each other
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Some twins are called mirror twins because when they were inside their mom’s womb, they turn and end up facing each other, eventually becoming their other half’s reflections. They would carry birthmarks that are located on opposite sides, and there’s a big chance that one twin will be right-handed while the other would be more fond of using his left.
Some conjoined twins are possible to share senses
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The part of the brain that is responsible for a person’s body senses and his other motor functions is called the thalamus. It’s possible that conjoined twins who are connected in the head will share this part of the brain. So they end up hearing what their twin hears, sees through the other’s eyes, and feels whatever the other senses.
A mother’s body is adaptable to her twins
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The breasts of a mother of a twin naturally adjust its temperature to cater to the needs of her newborns.
A fraternal twin mother is more likely to give birth to twins herself. There’s a bigger chance that she will, if she already has or if she has siblings who are twins
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Identical twins still have different fingerprints
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The ridges in our fingers are formed when we touched the amniotic sac. It’s possible that twins have identical DNA, but because they still move differently inside the womb, they will still have different fingerprints.
Twins are more likely to be lefty than those who were born alone
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Identical twins can be the perfect criminals in the future
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It’s safe to say that forensic experts’ most hated type of criminals are those who have twins. Because a pair of twin can have the same DNA, it would be hard to use it against them, especially if both say they didn’t do it and come up with the perfect alibi.
Twins separated from birth are known to have similar life story
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It may be unbelievable, but many real-life stories have proven this true. Twins who are separated at birth tend to live a life that mirrors each other’s. Like they end up having partners who have the same name or giving their kids the same name. The most interesting thing—they tend to fall ill at the same time.
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