Do identical twins have identical fingerprints and other fun factoids about twins

October 23, 3:04 AMEarly Childhood Parenting ExaminerAngele Sionna

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Gemini is known as "the twins" zodiac sign

Have you ever thought about identical twins and wondered are they indeed identical all the way down to their fingerprints?

If you have, then this will intrigue you. If not, well maybe this is the "something" that you'll learn today anyway.

I found the answer at the amusing factoid site Straight Dope. The short answer - no, identical twins are not identical all the way down to their fingerprints. StraightDope.com says:

Identical twins have fingerprints that can be readily distinguished on close examination. However, the prints do have striking similarities. In fact, before the arrival of modern genetic testing, similarity of fingerprints was often used to determine whether twins were identical or fraternal.

While we're talking twins, here are some other interesting facts:

• Massachusetts is the state with the highest ratios of twins. New Mexico has the lowest. (statemaster.com)
• The name Thomas means "twin" yet it is not among the most popular names for a twin that is a boy. In fact it didn't even make the list of the 102 most popular twin set names last year. (ssa.gov)
• The most popular set of names for twins in 2007 - Jacob and Joshua. 69 sets of twins were given that name set last year alone. (ssa.gov)
• The world record for longest interval between the birth of twins is held by Peggy Lynn. She "gave birth to Hanna on November 11 1995 and twin Eric on Feb 2 1996, 84 days later." (greatbabyproducts.com)
• "It is believed that having fraternal (dizygotic) twins can be genetic and that this predisposition can cause women to be more likely to release more than one egg at a time, offering the chance for more than one egg to be fertilized at a time. Other factors that can increase your chances of having fraternal twins include using fertility treatments and a mother being over 35-40 years old when she becomes pregnant. The chance of having identical (monozygotic) twins is usually not thought to be genetic." (keepkidshealthy.com)