Twins Who Are Different
Recently, a pair of twins in their 30s made the news after setting an unusual record. Yoshie Kikuchi from Japan is 162.5 centimeters tall, while her sister Michie stands at 87.5 centimeters. According to Guinness World Records, their height difference of 75 centimeters is the biggest among living twins around the world.You might wonder how twin siblings can be so vastly different inheight. But in fact, such differences are frequent among fraternal twins, as opposed to identical twins.In the case of identical twins, they develop from the same fertilized egg, but that egg splits early on. Because of this, most identical twins share almost all of the same fundamental genetic traits, including gender, looks, and height.On the other hand, fraternal twins are born from the same mother at nearly the same time, but they develop from two different fertilized eggs. These non-identical twins share about 50 percent of their genetic components, which is the same percentage found among brothers or sisters of different ages.This is the reason that fraternal twins may be of different gendersor even skin colors. There may also be a discrepancy in their heights, as Yoshie and Michie Kikuchi have clearly shown.However, even if they may look different on the outside, fraternal twins can establish an incredibly powerful bond with each other from early on, just as identical twins do. As toddlers, many of them even develop their own personal language to communicate. This early means of communication disappears soon after the children begin to learn a real language.
Questions:1. What is the record that Yoshie and Michie Kikuchi recently set?2. What is the difference between identical and fraternal twins in terms of genetic traits?3. Can fraternal twins look different from each other? If so, give an example.4. What is the significance of a personal language that twins develop as toddlers?5. Do you have any siblings? If so, do you think you are similar to or different from your siblings? In your opinion, do you think it is better to have an identical twin or a fraternal twin? Why or why not?
