Can unrelated people be twins?

Question

I went to Cedar Point recently. I don't do drugs, and I wasn't hallucinating because 4 of my friends saw this guy and went up to him thinking it was me earlier in the day while I was in a roller coaster line on the other side of the park. I saw him later on for myself and he looked *exactly* like me. Right down to the shoulder length, dyed hair and even similar clothes. It was like looking in a mirror.
So the question is, can 2 people look almost perfectly alike and not be related at all? What would cause this and has anyone else had anything similar happen to them?

I did the research and I do *not* have a birth related twin according to my parents and the hospital where I was born. (I have no reason to doubt these, so for the sake of argument consider it true.)

Answer 1

Literally twins no, because DNA is so complex sharing it would be almost imposssible.

Having a double is not so rare, however. If you were to really look closely you would see differences--they happen even with identical twins. But to the casual observer the changes would be barely noticeable, if noticeable at all.

Answer 2

By the medical and scientific definition of the term, no.

Could two unrelated people have identical genetics? It's exceedingly unlikely but not impossible.

Have you noticed that some hair colors, hair lengths and styles, and clothes look good on you but some don't? Someone else with similar physical features would likely make the same choices you do regarding cosmetics. That's making the best use of what you have, not genetics.

If your parents were both twins, and their siblings married each other and had children, those children would have by far the best chance of genetic similarity to you. Even then, chances are still probably one in billions or trillions or more.

Answer 3

Scientifically, no. Twins, by definition, must be born to the same parents and must be developed (in the womb) at the same time.

I wouldn't argue that someone somewhere must look exactly like you, but for the two of you to dress exactly the same at that particular day is a bit spooky, if not impossible.

If you had asked this question on that day, I would have suggested you to check if you weren't really looking at a mirror. Seems to me that you were in an amusement park; there could be loads of mirrors there, who knows?

Ha ha... just kidding. Sorry if I couldn't be of much help.

Answer 4

There is a guy who photographs people who look alike but are not related!! (I think he lives in Canada...you should get him to photograph you!!)

In relation to the question...its kind of like parallel evolution. We are sort of related...well we have a common ancestor in the not to distant past ( relatively speaking) and we all have the same things on our face (I mean this is really how we classify people...face recognition) and there can be the possibility that some people can have similar features.
I also remember a school a new girl who came in and looked like me...I was rather shocked actually (and took an immediate dislike to her and started changing my hair, as hers was the same colour/style etc)...so its just chance really, but I agree its a bit freaky!

Answer 5

No, unrelated people can not be twins. I had a twin once when I was in high school though. She went to another high school that played basketball against ours. The next week at school after we played them, people would come up to me and tell me how much we looked alike and they thought it was me at first. I finally saw her a couple of years later and it was true. We could have been twins!

Answer 6

What you're describing is called a doppelgänger. Its a term for someone who is unrelated to you, but looks enough like you to be your twin (but obviously isn't your twin).

Answer 7

no but think about all the people in the world everyone couldnt look different so there are people who could look like you buut they may not be related

Answer 8

only people who are related can be twins and look alikes are more different from you then you think!!!!!!!!