8 Fun Facts About Twins You May Not Know About

There are many myths and unusual facts about twins, so we want to share some interesting information that you may not have known about.

Have you ever met a set of twins and had trouble seeing who is who? According to statistics, three out of a thousand pregnancies are identical twins. Identical twins are the product of a zygote that was very early divided into two identical children, who even have the same DNA.

It is important to emphasize that identical and identical twins are not the same. Identical twins share the majority of their genetic material because they both come from the same fertilized egg that was shared after fertilization. Dizygotic twins come from two different eggs fertilized during the same hormone cycle.

Fun facts about twins

Over the past decade, the number of twins and triplets has increased significantly largely due to assisted reproduction and other medical procedures that aid in conception. However, these processes cannot create identical twins, they can only occur naturally.

There are many more interesting facts about twins. Here are some:

1. They have different fingerprints

When you see two completely identical children, you may think they have the same fingerprint, but that is not the case. According to the Huffington Post , each child attaches itself to different places of the amniotic sac, which means that different lines form on their fingers. As a result, they do not have the same fingerprint.

Another interesting fact is that 22% of identical twins are left-handed, compared to only 10% of the general population.

2. They are not as identical as they look

According to statistics, twins are literally “mirror images”. 25% of them develop as if they were reflections of each other. In other words, if one is left-handed, the other is right-handed.

For example, if one of the children has a birthmark on his right arm, the other has the same birthmark on his left arm. But twins still share thought patterns.

The twins are not telepathic

Many people believe that twins have superpowers or different ways of communicating with each other, but this is not true. According to Discovery, it is a myth that has been disproved.

It has never been proven that twins are mentally connected in any special or different way. Since they grow up together , it is normal for them to know each other well, which was what gave rise to the idea of ​​telepathy.

4. The case of the “Jim twins”

These identical twins from Minnesota were separated when they were 4 weeks old. They were both adopted by different families and met again when they were 39 years old. Their story was published in the book Entwined Lives, by Nancy Segal.

Although they grew up without any kind of interaction , they were just as tall and weighed just as much. They had the same favorite beach in Florida, were both good at math and shared hobbies such as carpentry and technical drawing.

5. Twins make contact in the womb

According to research from the University of Padua (Italy) , twins seek contact with each other while in the mother’s womb. They even touch the other twin more often than they move themselves. In the cases that the researchers studied, this happens from week 14 of the pregnancy. According to statistics, Siamese twins represent 1 in 200,000 pregnancies.

6. They have their own language

Some people think that it is because twins can communicate mentally, but of course siblings can develop their own language without having to be twins.

It happens simply because you grow up together from an early age, especially if you are fairly old. When children learn to speak, they help each other to learn, and in doing so can begin to invent their own words, which is often considered their own exclusive language.

7. They do not share all genetic material

Although they may seem completely identical, they are not. They share a large part of their genetic material, but not 100% of it, as people often believe. According to a study from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, certain parts of their DNA may differ in the number of genes they form. In order to be considered completely identical, they would need to share 100% of their genes and be born at the same time, according to Discovery.

8. It is not hereditary

This is another common myth. There is no scientific evidence that it is hereditary to have identical twins.

Getting twins is hereditary. If there is a case of twins in a family, it is very likely that more couples will be born. It has to do with the fact that the woman then has a genetic ability to release more than one egg during the same cycle.

Other interesting facts about twins

• Women who have twins live longer.
• 25% of identical twins are “mirror images” of each other.
• Twins look less alike the more time passes.
• There are cases of identical triplets.
• Consuming more dairy products increases the likelihood of twins.

There are many myths about twins that do not match reality. Although some can be proven, many facts continue to be a mystery.