2006-08-23 08:21:41 · 34 answers · asked by Anonymous in Arts & Humanities ➔ Books & Authors
No.
Identical means exactly the same.
2006-08-23 08:23:08 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I've heard a couple of cases in the past where there was some kind of mutation in the egg, and there were identical twins of opposite genders, but it's so incredibly rare (if it even really exists) that it's not even really considered a possibility... if you have identical twins, they will be the same sex. Of course, just because they are the same sex, doesn't necessarily mean they're identical... fraternal twins are just like any other set of siblings and you can have a boy and a girl, or you can have two of the same sex.....
2006-08-25 05:35:37 · answer #2 · answered by TwinMommyJen 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
According to Lynn Bry, a doctor at the Dept. of Pathology at Harvard, the answer leans more towards a "sort-of yes" than a definitive "no."
According to Bry, people have 23 sets of "chromosomes" (46 total). A chromosome is like a part of blueprint - it contains a portion of the instructions needed to make a person. You need all 23 sets to make a healthy person. Of these 23 sets, one set determines a person's sex - we call this special set the "sex chromosomes." We have two sex chromosomes, called X and Y. Women have two X chromosomes for their set, while men have an X and a Y for their set.
Identical twins (generally) share the same genetic information. Such twinning happens when a single fertilized egg splits into two embryos early in the course of development. Under normal circumstances, a fertilized egg that is XX (female) will not to suddenly give rise to an XY twin, just as an XY egg that splits cannot give rise to an XX twin.
However, I said under "normal circumstances..." There have been rare reports of male and female "identical twins". Truly, none of the twins is genetically identical as they have a different complement of X/Y chromosomes. Their sex chromosomes differ, but their non-sex chromosomes are otherwise the same. I found no instances where both twins had the normal set of 23 chromosomes. Either one or both had genetic anomalies.
How do these very rare events occur?
We can't always tell for certain, but it appears the original fertilized egg may have a significant genetic defect such as extra chromosomes, or fragments of sex chromosomes that become stuck to one of the non-sex chromosomes. In some cases the defects may arise early in development - after fertilization, but either before or after the twinning occurs. In all cases, both twins arose from a single fertilized egg.
Fraternal twins, twins arising from two separately fertilized eggs, are commonly different genders, though they can also be the same gender.
2006-08-23 08:31:23 · answer #3 · answered by LB 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There are 4 types of twins:
1) Identical: 1 sperm and 1 egg that splits; Same genetics, same sex.
2) 1/2 Identical: 2 sperms split 1 egg; Similar genetics, but can be different sexes.
3) Fraternal: 2 sperms and 2 eggs; Genetics as any two siblings, thus can be different sexes.
4) Two-Fathers: Don't ask, but can be of different sexes.
2006-08-23 08:32:59 · answer #4 · answered by Greg Hegler 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
mmm .... good question - identical twins have the same genotype but different phenotypes. This means that they will share the same DNA but have different physical traits. Often the only way to tell them apart is by their fingerprints. They are actually formed by one fertilized egg separating into two - different from the fraternal twins who are actually two different fertilized eggs to begin with and only share about 50% of their DNA not much different from regular siblings. There have been only 3 documented cases of identical twins that were male and female!
2006-08-23 08:52:28 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, same sex children are called identical, if they are not identical they are called twins, and two opposite sexes are called fraternal.
2006-08-23 08:28:58 · answer #6 · answered by wondering 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No. Then the twins would be fraternal not identical. Did you know that the Olsen twins are not identical? They're not because one is taller than the other one is. Isn't that weird?
2006-08-23 09:45:00 · answer #7 · answered by Goddess Princess Minky 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No...fraternal twins can be opposite sex but identical cannot be
2006-08-23 08:29:14 · answer #8 · answered by litl_man 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, they are always fraternal. To be identical, they would need to be the same sex. Fraternal twins (opposite sexes) can look extremely alike though.
2006-08-23 08:25:42 · answer #9 · answered by mistress_piper 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No -- fraternal twins can be opposite sex but identical can not.
2006-08-23 08:24:44 · answer #10 · answered by Ducky S 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sounds like most agree that identical is just that. But,did you see the story about the man who had carried his twin in his stomach for 30 years? Creeeeeepy.
2006-08-23 08:30:49 · answer #11 · answered by swsw1fu 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋