Interesting About Twins

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The natural phenomenon of egg-splitting in the womb and the making of twins is something researchers still are not sure about. In the United States 3.2% of deliveries are twin births. In 2021 a survey of 165 countries (which is about 99% of the world's population) found that 1 in 42 births today are twins. That is about 12 twin births for every 1,000 pregnancies. Scientists believe that about 1.6 million twins are born each year. Only 1 in 3 sets of twins are identical. The other two thirds are termed fraternal which are siblings born at the same time who may or may not look alike. But even identical ones have their differences. One of those differences is their fingerprints. For several scientific reasons fingerprints that develop in utero do not come out the same. Blood pressure, the length of the umbilical cord, and how fast the fetus grows all impact the final print design. They share DNA so the prints will be similar but not identical. Twin births are most abundant on the west coast of Africa in countries such as Benin and Nigeria. This area has had 27 to 40 sets of twins for every 1,000 births. It is unclear exactly why, but scientists think it could have something to do with their diet. This includes okra leaves and yam and could have plant compounds that could play a role in maternal fertility. In the northwestern Ohio city of Twinsburg, they hold a 3-day festival each year. It is the worlds greatest gathering of twins, triplets and quadruplets. More than 2,145 twin come together to enjoy talent shows, parades and award ceremonies.