Is a person with two differently colored eyes actually two people?

Question

I found an article ( http://www.rotten.com/library/sideshow/siamese-twins/chimeras/ ) that said that sometimes, when two twin embryos develop, they create siamese twins; and sometimes, the embryos wind up developing pretty much in the same place, so that the siamese twins take the space of a single person. They're called "chimeras" and might go their whole lives without knowing it, although some possible symptoms include having multiple bloodtypes and different-colored eyes.

How true is this? Where can I find more details?

If I see a person with one blue eye and one brown eye, is it likely that this person is actually two people?

Answer 1

Chimerism does occur in humans, albeit it is believed to be rare. It can happen in manner similar to what you described. The definition of chimera, in a genetic sense, is a single organism (human in this case) having more than one cell line derived from different zygotes. Very, very early fusion of twins (usually at the blastocyst stage - 50-150 cells in each zygote) results in a single zygote with interminged cells. Normal development continues and the resulting individual is of two different cell lines.

Any talk of said person being "two people" is symbolic at best - the individual is clearly just that: an individual. They just happen to have experienced an unusual phenomenon very early in development.

Answer 2

Not that I have ever heard of. It's remotely possible, but it is highly unlikely that an embryo would produce only one eye, rather than an entire second head. Also, a person with a multiple blood type would not truly have two blood types, but rather, they would have any blood type except type O (search "blood typing" for more information). Type A and type B have resistances to each other, and only people who have type AB positive blood can accept blood from any source. This is because they have antibodies against chemicals found in other types of blood. It's confusing, but it works.

I'm not sure about in medical definitions, but the actual definition of a chimera (or chimaera, if you're into the British spelling as I am :) ) is a deadly mythical creature, mostly found in ancient fairy tales in a few cultures worldwide. This is not to say that two things couldn't share the same name, though.

Also, two embryos developing makes fraternal twins; one embryo dividing into two embryos makes identical (and sometimes conjoined, or siamese) twins. I should know because I am one :)

Answer 3

I've had this same question for ever! But how do we really know, Because we were taught which colors are what names. After all, everyone's brains are different. Perhaps the color I see, and Call blue, appears what you think is purple ^-^I really have no idea what I'm talking about, but yeah... I should ask a Scientist! TO THE LAB!

Answer 4

if they do a poo at the same time there two people

Answer 5

YAY I KNOW IAM HOT AND U R UGLY thank you :)

Answer 6

That is untrue.

Answer 7

no never