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Thread: Silly curiosity question

  1. #1

    Silly curiosity question

    For you law enforcement and geneticist folks, a question.

    Do identical twins have identical fingerprints?
    Dave Anderson

    Chester, NH

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    No, but DNA is identical. Twins are often mirror images with their hair part line opposite. I wonder if one is often left handed?
    Bill D

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    Quote Originally Posted by Dave Anderson NH View Post
    For you law enforcement and geneticist folks, a question.

    Do identical twins have identical fingerprints?
    Not identical, but generally very similar. Fingerprints are not entirely determined by genetics, but are strongly influenced by genes.

    Prints from the same finger of a pair of identical twins: prints.png

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    I have uncles that are identical twins, one is right handed and the other left handed. They used to get put in different classes in school so they wouldn't cause trouble. They figured out that they only had to study for half the tests and would each take the same test twice by switching shirts between classes. They are also both reasonably ambidextrous and would write with either hand. All went will until one brought his baseball glove in after recess and the teacher noticed it was for the wrong hand. Neither would admit how long they had been pulling the scheme but everyone suspected was the better part of a year.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Andrew Gibson View Post
    I have uncles that are identical twins, one is right handed and the other left handed. They used to get put in different classes in school so they wouldn't cause trouble. They figured out that they only had to study for half the tests and would each take the same test twice by switching shirts between classes. They are also both reasonably ambidextrous and would write with either hand. All went will until one brought his baseball glove in after recess and the teacher noticed it was for the wrong hand. Neither would admit how long they had been pulling the scheme but everyone suspected was the better part of a year.
    No offence to you but gotta wonder about how they were taught right and wrong growing up if they thought this was ok to do.

  6. #6
    I read that the wives of identical twins sometimes make them get distinguishing tattoos

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    I remember Alain Vigneault, former coach of the Vancouver Canucks admitted even after coaching the Sedin twins for several years he couldn't tell them apart.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Doug Garson View Post
    No offence to you but gotta wonder about how they were taught right and wrong growing up if they thought this was ok to do.
    A case demonstrating how far both parents and coaches will go to win:
    Little League had a rule about the maximum number of innings a kid could pitch in a week (since changed to # of pitches).
    One team had a set of identical twins, Billy and Bob. Both pitched, but one, Billy, was better; the coach would often use him as a “closer” in the final innings. If Billy had used up his innings for the week he would come to the next game wearing Bob’s jersey.
    Comments made here are my own and, according to my children, do not reflect the opinions of any other person... anywhere, anytime.

  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by Dave Anderson NH View Post
    For you law enforcement and geneticist folks, a question.

    Do identical twins have identical fingerprints?
    Is that all you have to go on? I’m with you, that’s been a problem for me for just about forever.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Dufour View Post
    No, but DNA is identical. Twins are often mirror images with their hair part line opposite. I wonder if one is often left handed?
    Bill D
    I believe identical twins are normally if not always opposite-handed.

    There was something on TV the other day about identical twin women who married identical twin men. Each couple had a child and because both male parents shared the same DNA, as did both female parents, both children had the same parental DNA. In other words, even though they had separate mothers and fathers, biologically they were siblings.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Charlie Velasquez View Post
    A case demonstrating how far both parents and coaches will go to win:
    Little League had a rule about the maximum number of innings a kid could pitch in a week (since changed to # of pitches).
    One team had a set of identical twins, Billy and Bob. Both pitched, but one, Billy, was better; the coach would often use him as a “closer” in the final innings. If Billy had used up his innings for the week he would come to the next game wearing Bob’s jersey.
    What that tells me is that coach should never be allowed anywhere near any playing field, hockey rink, etc. He doesn't understand the role of a coach in youth sports. Winning at any cost is totally unacceptable. Coaching youth sports is not about winning it's about building character, pushing your limits to achieve more than you thought you could, working together as a team, respecting the rules and your opponents.
    In addition to that, limits are there to protect the player from ruining his arm. When I was in my teens I umpired at a local ball diamond. There was one guy who was a great pitcher, his allstar team would play games against the next age group and he would strike out a dozen hitters in nine innings. By the time he was eligible to play in that next age group his arm was toast and the guy who used to be his catcher was pitching and he was catching. Problem was, he couldn't throw anyone out at second base.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Alan Rutherford View Post
    I believe identical twins are normally if not always opposite-handed.

    There was something on TV the other day about identical twin women who married identical twin men. Each couple had a child and because both male parents shared the same DNA, as did both female parents, both children had the same parental DNA. In other words, even though they had separate mothers and fathers, biologically they were siblings.
    That is a great story. Thanks for a smile to close the day.

    Just to be clear though, the children would not have identical DNA, they would each have a unique combination of DNA drawn partially from their mother, and partially from their father. You wouldn't be able to distinguish of the two couples they got that DNA from, and they would have the same consanguinity as siblings, but they wouldn't have the same DNA any more than I have the same DNA as my non-identical brothers and sisters.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Doug Garson View Post
    No offence to you but gotta wonder about how they were taught right and wrong growing up if they thought this was ok to do.
    Haha, none taken. I could follow that with the fact that they got in big trouble. They both got summer school and lots of extra chores on the farm after the initial punishment.
    Andrew Gibson
    Program Manger and Resident Instructor
    Florida School Of Woodwork

  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by Steve Demuth View Post
    That is a great story. Thanks for a smile to close the day.

    Just to be clear though, the children would not have identical DNA, they would each have a unique combination of DNA drawn partially from their mother, and partially from their father. You wouldn't be able to distinguish of the two couples they got that DNA from, and they would have the same consanguinity as siblings, but they wouldn't have the same DNA any more than I have the same DNA as my non-identical brothers and sisters.
    Makes me wonder about my family tree, the part where my Mom's sister married my dad's brother. When checking the DNA of me, my 4 siblings and my 4 cousins, would they be able to tell if there was 2, 3 or 4 parents? I'm assuming yes but no clue
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kev Williams View Post
    Makes me wonder about my family tree, the part where my Mom's sister married my dad's brother. When checking the DNA of me, my 4 siblings and my 4 cousins, would they be able to tell if there was 2, 3 or 4 parents? I'm assuming yes but no clue
    The testing indicates a genetic distance and tags parents and siblings very easily but they all have to be tested within the same database.
    I’ve been researching family dna, the most interesting for me is the Ydna. It is only passed down from father to son and goes back as far as last names have been used. For most everyone you will see other last names you are related to. Some are due to last name changes hundreds of years ago and some are due to children born out of wedlock between recent and way back. Some are due to two brothers that went separate ways in the early ages and each picked a different last name without ever knowing what the other picked.
    I would have never figured out my genealogy without help from distant cousins that knew things about the family in the early 1800’s. Sites like Ancestry have info other than Dna that is not accurate because they suggest links to you and other family trees on there have massive errors. The only way to be sure of anything is to have family records in bibles or other places. Famous or rich families back in the 1700’s and before might have records and common folk want to be related to them so they take those suggestions online without one iota of proof.
    We can’t trace the King name past Katherine King b1778 but the Ancestry site will take it back to all sorts of people based on hunches.
    Last edited by Bruce King; 09-24-2020 at 9:44 PM.

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