[net.kids] IDENTICAL TWINS AND HANDEDNESS

slb@drutx.UUCP (Sue Brezden) (08/20/85)

andrew@grkermi.UUCP (Andrew W. Rogers) writes:
>
>My wife is left-handed, but
>her identical twin is right-handed... figure that one out!
>

Actually, I have heard that this is not uncommon among identical
twins.  One twin will be a mirror image of the other.  I remember
a book that showed pictures of twin's heads, with the hair growing
in whorls in opposite directions.

Does anyone know why this happens?  Are fingerprints reversed?
Come to think of it, are fingerprints the same on identical twins?
Why does this happen only sometimes?

-- 

                                     Sue Brezden
                                     
Real World: Room 1B17                Net World: ihnp4!drutx!slb
            AT&T Information Systems
            11900 North Pecos
            Westminster, Co. 80234
            (303)538-3829 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
        Your god may be dead, but mine aren't.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

walter@nrcp1.DEC (08/27/85)

I have been watching net.kids closely the past couple of days on the
subject of handedness.   I am left-handed, my mother is left-handed
and I have an aunt and a few cousins that are left-handed.  Only my
aunt was "made" to change to her right hand while in grade school.
Since then she has always written with her right hand but has to do
everything else with her left, so what was the purpose?  

My Mother and I seem to be ambidextrous, meaning we can do most 
anything with either hand.  I can write with my right hand as well
as my left and when painting prefer to use my right.  I also play
most sports (softball, racketball, etc.) with my right hand.

My attention was also caught when the subject of identical twins and
handedness came up.  I have an IDENTICAL twin sister who is right
handed.  We are called "Mirror Twins" because if we stand in front
of a mirror we are doing the opposite, or mirroring each other.  I
always thought she was the lucky one being right handed!

Each twin, just like everyone else, has their own fingerprints.  As
far as the fingerprints going the opposite way, I don't know.  But
it is true that the hair swirls and grows in opposite directions.

As far as thinking goes, we think exactly the same things.  When we
were younger our older sister would take us, one at a time, Xmas
shopping.  We would invaribly buy each other the same thing.

Is anyone else a twin out there?  It's neat having someone that you
can communicate very easily with.  You always know what the other 
one is thinking!!!

Nancy Walter
DEC Northboro

P.S.  We don't have twin names, my sister's is Kathy!!!