Do identical twins have identical DNA?

Answer 1

Yes.

Answer 2

Boy, some people just don't know what they are talking about. It is really sad to see a twin reply and answer this wrong. Identical twins have exactly the same DNA. Our DNA has little to nothing to do with our retinal image, our finger print, or other outward identification marks. Those are developed once our fingers, toes and eyes are developed, not before.

A clone, as most look at it, is nothing more than an identical twin. The only difference is that the DNA is taken from a person instead of split between two people. Also a true clone has never been created in the lab to date. Only a variation of how a twin is created. For a clone to have been created, the DNA of the person/animal subject would be the only source of DNA used.

Answer 3

*Almost*. The simple answer is yes, they have identical DNA because they are products of the same sperm and egg cells ... so they have identical chromosomes at the moment the fertilized egg cell splits into two developing embryos with the same DNA.

However, after fertilization, the DNA undergoes a huge amount of replication (it is replicated with every cell division ... and cells are dividing like crazy in the process of making a fetus). There is always small replication error, the equivalent of making a typo on pages 127 and 594 when copying an encyclopedia. Very few of these result in *genetic* differences (as there are large regions of DNA uninvolved in any genes). But if they do cause some *genetic* difference, this is called a "mutation" and may produce a slight difference in one of the twins, or could produce some altered gene that gets pass on to the twin's offspring.

Answer 4

yes they do. recently on the news there was a case about a women being raped by a man they had the DNA however they had trouble identify the man that did it because he had a twin brother and their DNA was the same. Both men are denying it. So scientist are trying to find a way to distinguish the differences between identical twins DNA

Answer 5

Identical twins have identical DNA. They come from the same fertilized egg, which had only one complete set of DNA in the first place.

Answer 6

Identical twins have identical DNA. They come from the same fertilized egg, which had only one complete set of DNA in the first place. That fertilized egg and its single set of DNA split to form twin embryos-each with its own set of DNA, identical to the other. One small quibble: the DNA sets will be identical, unless one fertilized egg's DNA mutates. Such mutations, however, are normally so tiny that DNA analysis can't detect them.
Fraternal twins develop from two independently fertilized eggs, so their DNA is different.

Answer 7

Although identical twins have the same genotype, or DNA, they have different phenotypes, meaning that the same DNA is expressed in different ways.

Traits determined by phenotype, such as fingerprints and physical appearance, are the result of "the interaction of the individuals genes and the developmental environment in the uterus." Thus, a DNA test can't determine the difference between identical twins, while a simple fingerprint can.

Answer 8

Almost identical DNA, but not exactly. Because if they had the same DNA, everything would be the exact same. And if you have noticed, some identical twins have slightly different shaped heads, hair conidition... I should know. I am a twin.

Answer 9

Identical twins actually have identical DNA, this is because when only one egg is fertilized and later in the development stage, the egg divides in half and creates two separate eggs which have identical genes and for that, they definitely have identical DNA.

Answer 10

Identical twins have identical DNA but differing environmental influences throughout their lives affect which genes are switched on or off. This is called epigenetic modification. A study of 80 pairs of human twins ranging in age from 3 to 74 showed that the youngest twins have relatively few epigenetic differences. The number of differences between identical twins increases with age. 50-year-old twins had over three times the epigenetic difference of 3-year-old twins. Twins who had spent their lives apart (such as those adopted by two different sets of parents at birth) had the greatest difference. (Fraga, et al., 2005).

Answer 11

Essentially IDENTICAL.
identical twins come from the same cell (fertilised egg or zygote). Thus, baring rare somatic mutations (mutations that occur after fertilisation of spemand egg in nn-reproductive tissues, i.e. all except sperm and egg producung) and translocations they have IDENTICAL DNA.
You would be very unlikely to detect a difference at the DNA level in their germ line (i.e. sperm or eggs) and thus will appear identical in most cass in DNA fingerprint tests (But not always, one or two loci may occasionally differ).
Fingerprints are under more than genetic control and WILL differ betwen them, but this is NOT due to different DNA but the stoichastic (Random) nature of cellular development.
.As they age they accumulate somatic mutations that differ between them, but again these will be rare and usually unlikely to be detected.
However, they will NOT look or behave the same and they will not express exactly the same genes.That is their mRNA levels will differ.
Development, including physical appearance is not soley (Principally) geneticaly controlled at the level of DNA code, but can be influenced by other factors such as temperature, and is also partly stoichastic (random).
Thus they are unlikely to look absolutely the same, and they will thus have different susceptabilities to disease etc.
Much of behaviour (Character) is also environmentlly influenced as wellas genetically controlled, so they may well have (usually do) different personalities

BTW thats why cloning, if it ever were done, of humans would NOT lead to identical looking nd importantly, identical behaving "clones".