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• Identical Twin Discovered in a Spanish Clothing Store

  An identical twin who was raised as a singleton by the wrong family is suing the diapers off the maternity hospital and city where she was born more than 30 years ago. Her biological sister, and the girl raised in her place, are doing the same. It's sad that switched-at-birth stories aren't all that uncommon. Here's the kicker in this story: it was only by accident that they all found out about the mix-up.   Read More... Posted May 28 2008, 04:34 PM by Madeline Holler with | with 5 comment(s) Filed under: twins, lawsuit, biological children, switched at birth, identical twins, Spain

• Weekly Check-Up: Identical Twins Not So Identical

  Until relatively recently, scientists believed identical twins were completely identical right on down to the DNA level. But this left some puzzles: Why, for example, would one twin develop a disease like Parkinson's while the other did not? It seemed odd that this could be explained by environmental exposures alone. And on a totally anecdotal and unscientific level, I've known identical twins with different personalities, and it also seems unlikely that those variations could be explained entirely by subtle differences in the way the twins were treated in the same family.  Now researchers have found possible DNA factors that complicate the picture and offer some reasons... Read More... Posted Feb 21 2008, 08:32 AM by Kelly Mills with | with 5 comment(s) Filed under: health, research study, twins, multiples, disease, weekly check up, identical twins, DNA, chromosones, mary kate and ashley, differences

• Being Bullied Makes Kids Anxious and Depressed

  In the not-so surprising news department, a study of identical twin pairs showed that in pairs between the ages of 7 and 9 where one sibling was bullied and the other was not, the bullied twin was more likely to have internalizing problems like depression. The research, according to the lead author, verifies the assumption that bullying is bad for kids' health, and "the fact that children were having these symptoms, which include frequent crying, fear of being alone, and stomach aches—at such a young age strongly suggests that they need help." No brainer? I'm certainly not gonna say this study is wrong...   Read More... Posted Feb 07 2008, 02:02 PM by Kelly Mills with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: education, research study, bully, mental health, depression, anxiety, identical twins, victim, twin study

• Decades-Old Twins Study Made Many Siblings Strangers

  I am a sucker for reports on research using identical twins subjects. Observing the physical and psychological similarities and differences are the way we get closest to teasing apart those two great forces that shape who we are as humans: nature and nurture. So I listened carefully to the recent NPR report featuring adult identical twins who, from birth, were among a dozen or so identical siblings in a study that would never, ever be allowed today. Read More... Posted Oct 28 2007, 03:05 PM by Madeline Holler with | with 5 comment(s) Filed under: research study, twins, Madeline Holler, memoirs, identical twins