Lauryn Reeves

Biol 1610 signature assignment

The DNA of twins and the probability of them being in a family

Being a twin is one of the most fascinating experiences someone can go through.

Whether you are a mother giving birth to twins or a person going through life with a twin you

would know what an amazing experience it is. I am a twin, my mom is a twin, and I have 2 more

sets of cousins who are twins. I am taking this opportunity to research more about the probability

of someone having twin children are, and dig deeper into what the DNA of a set of twins looks

like.

We learned in class that everyone’s DNA is different, you get one strand of DNA from

your mother and another strand from your father which come together to make up a

chromosome. This is the same case for identical twins, because after all they have their own

genetic makeup but there are still a few interesting points to add about a twins DNA. According

to Science News Independent Journal, “New research suggests all identical twins share a

common signature of twinhood, not in their DNA, but on it. This signature is part of the

epigenome, chemical markers that dot many spots along DNA and influence the activity of genes

without altering their sequence” (Lambert and Saey). Even though the twins DNA is different,

the genome is the same. A genome is an organism’s complete set of genetic instructions. If a set

of twins carries the same genome they will always be identical, meaning they will always be the

same gender and they will share all of the same genes. “Identical twins come from a single

fertilized egg and share the same DNA makeup, but there can still be some differences between

the two of them (Krasnewich). Some differences between a set of identical twins may include
slight height differences, weight differences, and they can develop different personality traits as

they grow older. Now, while all of this applies to identical twins, does the same apply to a set of

dyzigotic twins or fraternal twins? The Minnesota Center for Twin and Family Research writes,

“Fraternal, or dizygotic (DZ), twins share 50% of their genes. Two different individuals, no more

genetically alike than brothers and sisters, develop from separate fertilizations” (Minnesota

Center for Twin and Family Research). Unlike a set of identical twins, fraternal twins only share

about 50% of each others DNA. Meaning each twin gets half a gene from their mothers egg and

the other half from their fathers sperm. Even though fraternal twins are labeled as “twins” they

resemble more as siblings. Their hair color, eye color, height, weight, and overall physical

features can be very different. With my experience as a fraternal twin we don’t have a lot in

common even though we are both twins and female. All of our facial features are different, our

personalities are completely polar opposite and our body type and appearance is also very

different.

Are the chances of someone having twins genetic, or just luck? In an article written by

The Tech Interactive, the author states many factors that can increase someone's odds of having

twins. These reasons include “Genetics, height, age, weight, diet, ancestry, previous birth, and In

Vitro fertilization” (Sumarroca). The mothers gene controls whether or not the couple will have

twins. So as far as genetics goes, if twins run in the mothers family the chance of the couple

having twins will be much greater. Even if the mother is not a twin but her mother or sister is, or

has twins, this increases the couples likelihood of having twins by about 2%. Age is also a factor

when having twins. “A 35 year old woman is about 4 times more likely to have fraternal twins

than a 15 year old!” (Sumarroca). A woman starts to experience signs of menopause as she nears
older age which means a lot of changes in her hormones and can lead to more eggs being

released during ovulations periods.

Weight, diet, ancestry, previous birth, and In Vitro fertilization were all main points that

Sumarroca made in her online article. While these factors may affect someone's chances of

having twins be very small they still have somewhat of an affect and are worthy of noting. With

weight, diet and ancestry she explains that if a woman is more overweight she is more likely to

have twins then a woman who is underweight. A woman who has a dairy and animal-inclusive

diet is 5 times more likely to have twins then someone who doesn’t include those foods into their

diet. Some cultures around the world are more likely to have twins then others, European

ancestry is more likely to have twins in their family whereas Asian ancestry has the lowest

percentage of twins in their families. In Vitro fertilization is an assisted reproduction system

which has upped the odds for women who are wanting twins to have a set of twins (Sumarroca).

Overall the DNA of twins is complex and their is still a lot of research going on today

about their DNA. With doing the research it is now determined what differs between an identical

twins DNA and a fraternal twins DNA, how the mother and fathers DNA affects whether or not

the set of twins will be identical or fraternal, and ways that a woman can be more susceptible to

having a set of twins.

Cited Sources:

Lambert, Jonathan, and Tina Hesman Saey. “All identical twins may share a common set of

chemical markers on their DNA.” Science News, 28 September 2021,

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/identical-twin-siblings-common-set-chemical-markers-dna-e

pigenetics. Accessed 24 April 2022.

Krasnewich, Donna. “Identical Twins Play Audio.” National Human Genome Research Institute,

https://www.genome.gov/genetics-glossary/identical-twins. Accessed 24 April 2022.

“Minnesota Center for Twin and Family Research.” Minnesota Center for Twin and Family

Research, 4 September 2007, https://mctfr.psych.umn.edu/twinstudy/twin%20FAQ.html.

Accessed 25 April 2022.

Sumarroca, Marina. “What are my chances of having twins?” The Tech Interactive, 4 March

2020, https://www.thetech.org/ask-a-geneticist/what-are-my-chances-having-twins. Accessed 25

April 2022.