Identical twins are trippin' me out right now.

[Zeze]

I guess I missed the class in school. I kind of assumed identical twins are from two sperm + one egg.

But identical twins are actually one sperm + one egg decided to split into two beings. I mean WTF??

So their DNA is exactly the same right?

1. Does that mean you cannot tell them apart? - physical features are truly SAME? I thought they looked plenty different upon closer look (different eyes, etc).

2. If their DNA are exactly the same, how do they already have different behaviors as infants? That is fascinating - one is more fussy, another is calmer. I mean, there's no Nurture to kick in. Why don't they behave near exactly the same?

 

[shortylickens]

Fun fact, because of random mutation in cells most twins are NOT perfectly identical for the majority of their lives.

 

[Zeze]

Fun fact, because of random mutation in cells most twins are NOT perfectly identical for the majority of their lives.

I realized I never met twins together IRL... I only have a vague memory of my twin friends in grade school.

The twins don't even look the same beyond the fundamental similarities. One already had a much more effeminate dramatic personality vs the other. So that DRASTIC gap in personality was all due to nurture? Holy hell.

 

[Iron Woode]

I know a pair of twins, Sally and Diana. They look the same and have the same mannerisms. I have known them a long time and I can't tell which one is which unless they are with a group of friends. Then I know who is who. Diana is more out going and Sally is more quiet/introverted.

FUN FACT: identical twins have different finger prints.

 

[rh71]

We technically have identical twins because it was the same sac & placenta and whatever other fun science facts. The chances were so slim that I challenged it more than once but the docs kept on. So on paper, they are identical, but they have different facial features, especially in the eyes.

They were naturally birthed 5 minutes apart, with one about 6oz heavier and as he grew, his body was chunkier too. Behavior was most certainly different even from infancy. Tendencies, likes, confidence, what they're good at - all different. I wouldn't even say it's environmental or nurture - I honestly believe they were born that way - everyone is made different from the start with no rhyme or reason. One is even a natural lefty in stick sports. I find myself having to build them up differently when it comes to challenges - the less confident one wouldn't respond to tough love as much as the one who has thicker skin. They are 2 different humans and it's pretty interesting how they've turned out so behaviorally unalike. Physically they are near-identical even at 10yo.

People have trouble telling who's who simply because they don't relate their name to a feature such as smaller eyes or rounder head. But if they saw them everyday, they would have to, just like us.

 

[Iron Woode]

We technically have identical twins because it was the same sac & placenta and whatever other fun science facts. The chances were so slim that I challenged it more than once but the docs kept on. So on paper, they are identical, but they have different facial features, especially in the eyes.

One was about 6oz heavier and as he grew, his body was chunkier too. Behavior was most certainly different even from infancy. Tendencies, likes, confidence, what they're good at - all different. I wouldn't even say it's environmental or nurture - I honestly believe they were born that way - everyone is made different from the start with no rhyme or reason. One is even a natural lefty in sports. Other than having two doing the same activities all the time since they're the same age, they are 2 different humans.

People have trouble telling who's who simply because they don't relate their name to a feature such as smaller eyes or rounder head. But if they saw them everyday, they would have to, just like us.

maybe they are fraternal twins, like my 2 nephews? 2 eggs 2 sperm?

 

[rh71]

maybe they are fraternal twins, like my 2 nephews? 2 eggs 2 sperm?

It's been 10 years, but I recall now. This is our situation: Monochorionic-diamniotic twins are identical twins who share a placenta but not an amniotic sac.

I remember the OB & ultrasound tech showing the scans which clearly revealed 2 sacs separated by 1 wall. I don't know anything about the eggs/sperm situation.

 

[Darwin333]

I knew a pair of identical twins in highschool, when I first met them I couldn't tell them apart for shit until I started talking to them. After I got to know them, I may or may not have had a slight crush on one of them, it was easy as hell to know which was which, like night and day almost. I ran into one working at Sears like 6 years later and I was still able to tell which one it was.

 

[Darwin333]

It's been 10 years, but I recall now. This is our situation: Monochorionic-diamniotic twins are identical twins who share a placenta but not an amniotic sac.

I remember the OB & ultrasound tech showing the scans which clearly revealed 2 sacs separated by 1 wall. I don't know anything about the eggs/sperm situation.

You know there have been reports of women having twins with each baby having a different father. Just saying, if the mailman looks like you might want to ask the wife some questions...

 

[rh71]

You know there have been reports of women having twins with each baby having a different father. Just saying, if the mailman looks like you might want to ask the wife some questions...

Our mailman is hot, I won't deny it.

 

[Iron Woode]

sometimes a woman drops 2 eggs instead of one. Then 2 separate sperm fertilize them. My nephews Ben and Ethan are like that. They do look similar but are not identical.

 

[local]

I have 4 year old identical twins and until I know which one is wearing what I just pick a name and call it to see which one responds. Sometimes they wear the same thing though and I get confused.

As far as personality they switch. Sometimes one is the dramatic one then the next day that one is normal and the other is being overly dramatic. It gets confusing.

 

[Carson Dyle]

I think the only class you missed in high school was logic.

 

[Red Squirrel]

My grandpa had two dogs that were born from same litter and were exactly the same so naturally they were hard to tell apart. They ran the same, they barked the same, they did all the same tricks and even had the same name. The only thing that was different was the black one ate more than the white one.

 

[Ichinisan]

Parasitic twin

Don't google.

 

[sdifox]

I think you toked too much and are seeing double.

 

[Sonikku]

As a mother of twins, I can tell you that they definitely don't look exactly alike, but they are similar. I remind them regularly though that they're still the same on the inside.

Pic for anyone curious.

https://i.imgur.com/l7OhTNl.jpg

 

[SearchMaster]

Our mailman is hot, I won't deny it.

Our mail"man" is a 60-something obese woman who once made me pick up a package at the post office because it weighed almost 10 pounds. I'm good there.

 

[Oyeve]

I know a set of identical twins. One has Lupus and one does not.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Our mailman is hot, I won't deny it.

Our mail carrier is pretty stacked too - she's got a walking route, so she gets a lot of exercise. Doubt she'd give me the time of day though.

 

[DietDrThunder]

sometimes a woman drops 2 eggs instead of one. Then 2 separate sperm fertilize them. My nephews Ben and Ethan are like that. They do look similar but are not identical.

You think identical twins are weird, now think about the rare genetic condition called Chimerism, which means that fraternal twins fuse together while still in the womb creating one baby. The surviving baby is born with two genetic DNA signatures, making it what's known as a tetragametic chimera. One of the most famous cases was that of woman who ran into trouble when she was applying for public assistance. A maternity test determined that she wasn't mother of the children she had definitely given birth to. After a long court battle, the "real" mother was revealed to be her unborn twin, whose DNA resided in her body.

 

[rh71]

I have 4 year old identical twins and until I know which one is wearing what I just pick a name and call it to see which one responds. Sometimes they wear the same thing though and I get confused.

As far as personality they switch. Sometimes one is the dramatic one then the next day that one is normal and the other is being overly dramatic. It gets confusing.

Funny you bring up clothing. Obviously it's hard to tell them apart from behind, their side, or from a distance and so each morning we try to remember who's wearing what (usually just colors) and the rest of the day it's easy to call them without studying their face for an extra half second. We shamelessly tell people this all the time. For a few years, one would favor red, but not anymore so it's become much more difficult.

 

[Ichinisan]

I know a set of identical twins. One has Lupus and one does not.

Conclusion: 50% of the time, it really is lupus.

 

[Darwin333]

I have 4 year old identical twins and until I know which one is wearing what I just pick a name and call it to see which one responds. Sometimes they wear the same thing though and I get confused.

As far as personality they switch. Sometimes one is the dramatic one then the next day that one is normal and the other is being overly dramatic. It gets confusing.

Boy, just wait until they get older and start fucking with your head on purpose!

 

[local]

Boy, just wait until they get older and start fucking with your head on purpose!

They are already starting that every once in a while but they are not very good at it yet and it is pretty obvious. At that point there will be mandatory different hair cuts.