• Question: Do identical twins have the exact same DNA?

    Asked by austintheor1ginalstar to Jemma, David, Mus, Tess, Yue on 28 May 2012. This question was also asked by reds14fanatic.
    • Photo: Jemma Ransom

      Jemma Ransom answered on 28 May 2012:

      Hi @austintheor1ginalstar,

      Identical twins are formed really early on in pregnancy when the embryo is only a few cells big. The embryo for as of yet unknown reasons, splits to form two embryos. As they develop from the same sperm and egg therefore at this stage identical twins have exactly the same genetic make-up. However we now know that our experiences and environment have profound effects on our DNA, so as identical twins grow up their DNA differs.

      Hope this answers your question

      Jemma

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