If two male twins impregnated two female twins, would both babies be identical?

Question

If two male (monozygotic) twins impregnated two female (monozygotic) twins, would both babies be identical?

Please give scientific reason why, serious answers only!

Answer 1

This is a very interesitng question! I don't believe they will be identical in the sense that they will look exactly alike, because there are mutations of the twins' (the parents) DNA in the first place (although very slight). Nurture also plays a big part in the differing apparences of the children. As far as the DNA being exactly the same being the definition of an identical twin and how that is created, I haven't found information about that. I did find two sites that were helpful in trying to get an answer for this question, though. I will be looking further into this as well.

Just wanted to state that according to the third site I've listed below, Chang and Eng did not marry twins as Kak (a few above) stated.

Answer 2

The simple answer is, "No".

When chromosomes divide up they don't divide the same every time. There is some mixing of genes. There is also some mixing of genes across the X Y chromosomes. This leads to variation in the children.

Consider that each man and woman has two chromosomes pairs. If chromosome pairs always separated the same you would have:

M1:W1
M1:W2
M2:W1
M2:W2

In other words if chromosomes didn't mix then any couple would start repeating children after no more than four. Regular couples would have identical twins born at different times. This doesn't happen even though there would only be four combinations with two chromosome pairs each. Since the chromosomes actually mix there are many, many, many combinations even with twin/twin parents.

Answer 3

No. They would, however, be genetic siblings.

Each gamete (egg or sperm) has exactly half the parent's DNA, and exactly one copy of each chromosome (in most cells, there are two of each). However, which copy of each chromosome they get is completely random. So one child might could have one version of chromosome 1 from their dad, and the other child could have the other version. Since a human has 24 pairs of chromosomes, without recombination there would be a 1 in 2^24 chance of two genetic siblings who are not monozygotic twins being genetically identical. However, during meiosis, the two versions of each chromosome actually get mixed together a little bit through a process known as recombination, and the chances of identical recombination events occurring simultaneously with identical segregation events is astronomically small, so the chances of non-twin genetic siblings being identical is negligible.

Answer 4

The answer to that would be no. Given the unfathomable amount of combinations of DNA in either a sperm or an egg, the likelyhood of both sets of twins releasing an egg or sperm that carried the exact same sequence of DNA and then combined to create the exact same sequence are just about infinite. An Ohio State Study put the amount of genes per human at about 70,000. If even one of those were different, the two children would be different.

Answer 5

No, not neccesarily. Genes from children can go way back. Thats why some children are born red headed even when their parents are not. Just like if someone has a set of twin, they can still look completely different.

Answer 6

No. Remember Mendehlson's [sp] Law. If they had 8 kids, there would be 8 variations on the possibilities for a child, whether they were identical or not. They would, however look like siblings.

Answer 7

No, the genes would still be just as randomly distributed as if they weren't twins.

My Brother's eldist daughter looks Identical to me at her age...we're NOT twins at all. My brother has more of my Mother's features and I have more of my father's.
My neice has fair hair while my brother and his wife are both dark haired. My neice has freckles all over, neither of her parents have any.

Granted I'm darker haired now, it got darker as I aged.


It's all a crap shoot!

Answer 8

no cause every egg and sperm in a person contains different genes whether it being direct or passive ones sex for example but i would imagine the kids would be quite similar but not identical and some might go as far to call them siblings al(brother,sister,etc.) since they would have the same family heritages

Answer 9

No. Chang and Eng, the famous Siamese twins married a set of twins. They had a lot of kids together and I don't think any of them were twins.

Answer 10

Like dunearcher212 but with added

Brothers (same parents) are not identical, the same applies here. VERY small chance.