Twins have always been a source of fascination for many people.
Now, with the number of twin births on the rise and more common than ever before, we decided to make a list out of a few things you might not know about them!
From the truth behind "twin talk" to the science behind their conception, here are 18 thought-provoking facts about twins!
Twins begin bonding before they’re born.
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Twins can begin interacting with one another as early as 14 weeks into a pregnancy! Researchers in Italy studied the behaviors of twins in the womb; at 18 weeks, the twins touched each other more than themselves. The twins were also noticeably gentle with each other. No wonder twins are said to have that special twin-bond!‘Twin Talk’ is very real.
Research suggests that about 40 percent of twins invent and speak to each other in their own languages! While it’s most common among twins, these types of languages form between two close siblings as they’re naturally learning whatever real language being spoken around them. Usually, the twin talk dwindles once the pair start school and learn the real language.Twins can have different dads.
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It’s quite rare, but if a woman releases two eggs while ovulating and then is impregnated by two different men in quick succession…viola! A set of twins with different fathers.Twins can mirror each other.
Roughly a quarter of twins become perfect reflections of each other. Their features develop asymmetrically, with birth marks on opposite sides of their body, or one right and the other left-handed.Even identical twins aren’t exact.
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Identical twins, while their DNA is 99.9% the same, never have the same fingerprints.What are the chances?
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A woman who is herself a fraternal twin is more likely to give birth to fraternal twins. This is also true for women who have previously given birth to twins, or have siblings who are twins—all of these factors increate the likelihood of having twins.Twins aren’t all born the same day.
Twins can, in fact, be born weeks or even months apart when complications arise during a pregnancy.Left-handedness is more common.
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Twins are twice as likely to be left-handed as opposed to single children. About 22% of twins are lefties, compared to only 10% of singletons.It’s possible to consume your twin before birth.
Due to “Vanishing Twin Syndrome," the number of pregnancies that begin with twins and those that result in the birth of twins are very different. In some cases of twins being conceived, one of the embryos is absorbed by the other twin, or even the mother’s body.What a confusing family tree.
via: Daily Mail
If two sets of identical twins married each other, their children would technically be cousins—but genetically speaking, they’d be siblings.Certain pairs of conjoined twins can share sensory information.
A piece by the New York Times explores the shared thoughts of a pair of conjoined twins named Tatiana and Krista Hogan. Currently, they are the only craniopagus conjoined twins in Canada. They’re connected at the head and can taste and feel what the other does, due to the “neural bridge" that joins them.Twins living separate lives can also mirror each other.
Through several instances of twins separated from the other at a young age, it has been noted that their lives have striking similarities. Instances of sharing similar thoughts, marrying people with the same name, or entering the same profession have all been noted.Got milk?
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Studies have shown that women who consume dairy are 5 times as likely to give birth to twins and women who don’t.Several celebrities are twins.
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Beyond the well-known Olsen twins, Scarlett Johansson, Ashton Kutcher, Keifer Sutherland, and Alanis Morissette all have twin siblings.