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The power of twin designs arises from the fact that twins may be either identical (monozygotic (MZ), i.e. developing from a single fertilized egg and therefore sharing all of their polymorphic alleles) or fraternal (dizygotic (DZ), i.e. developing from two fertilized eggs and therefore sharing on average 50% of their alleles, the same level of genetic similarity found in non-twin siblings).
A twin study compares the concordance rate of identical twins to that of fraternal twins. This can help suggest whether a disease or a certain trait has a genetic cause. [3] Controversial uses of twin data have looked at concordance rates for homosexuality and intelligence. Other studies have involved looking at the genetic and environmental ...
Monozygotic twins are genetically nearly identical and they are the same chromosomal sex unless there has been a mutation during development. The children of monozygotic twins test genetically as half-siblings (or full siblings, if a pair of monozygotic twins reproduces with another pair or with the same person), rather than first cousins.
There is evidence of heritability in personality traits. For example, one study found that approximately half of personality differences in high-school aged fraternal and identical twins were due to genetic variation - and another study suggests that no one personality trait is more heritable than another. [6] [8]
The word zygosity may also be used to describe the genetic similarity or dissimilarity of twins. [6] Identical twins are monozygotic, meaning that they develop from one zygote that splits and forms two embryos. Fraternal twins are dizygotic because they develop from two separate oocytes (egg cells) that are fertilized by two separate sperm.
The use of twin studies assumes the elimination of non-genetic differences by finding the statistical differences between monozygotic (identical) twins, which have almost the same genes, and dizygotic (fraternal) twins. [51] The similarity of the environment in which twins are reared has been questioned. [52] [53]
A second and more common design is the twin study in which the similarity of identical and fraternal twins is used to estimate heritability. These studies can be limited by the fact that identical twins are not completely genetically identical, potentially resulting in an underestimation of heritability.
The study was subsequently the subject of Identical Strangers, a 2007 memoir by separated identical twins Elyse Schein and Paula Bernstein [11] (who appear in the film), as well as the 2017 documentary The Twinning Reaction [12] and a 2018 episode of the American TV news program 20/20 titled "Secret Siblings". [13]