The Twin Phenomenon.

Originally posted by wigit
Are mirror image twins opposite on the insides too then?
Sorry, aren't mirror image twins just identical twins or is that a different thing?

Situs inversus is a congenital condition in which the major visceral organs are reversed or mirrored from their normal positions.

The prevalence of situs inversus varies among different populations but is less than 1 in 10,000 people.

The condition affects all major structures within the thorax and abdomen. Generally, the organs are simply transposed through the sagittal plane. The heart is located on the right side of the thorax, the stomach and spleen on the right side of the abdomen and the liver and gall bladder on the left side. The left lung is trilobed and the right lung bilobed, and blood vessels, nerves, lymphatics and the intestines are also transposed.

Situs inversus is generally an autosomal recessive genetic condition, although it can be X-linked or found in identical "mirror" twins.

Mirror Image Twins

If you are mirror image twins it means that you are also identical twins. Mirror image twins are created when the fertilised egg splits quite late (around days 9-12), any later and twins can be co-joined.

Mirror image twins have small mirror image differences but are actually genetically identical; this means you have the exact same DNA!

Some parts of the body are commonly mirrored; mirroring of appendix or heart or other internal organs is rare. We have some examples of our own mirroring:

* We are opposite handed (Flame is left-handed and Lake right)
* We tend to have mirror image dental problems
* Our cowlicks (tuft of hair at fringe) are on opposite sides
* People often have two different size feet; with us the opposite foot is larger
* We look very similar to each other but the resemblance is even stronger if we stand facing each other (as though in a mirror) rather than side by side. Or get both of us facing into a mirror and things start to look very confusing.
* Our finger prints don't seem to conform to being mirror image – instead they are nearly identical (only one pair of fingers has any major difference)

We've had emails from many other mirror image twins who tell us they also have these types of physical similarities. We don't seem to experience mirror image aptitudes and instead we have very similar interests and skill levels.

Well its another late night for me here and I just happened to be searching the old threads here in ATS on my way to post a similar research project but now I see that this is unnecesarry.Being an identical twin myself I have had many hard to explain encounters with my other half. We very much have a pychic bond and have took it upon ourselves to test it in various degrees.Beyond the pychic connection there has also been more than a few "quensidences" in which the exact same thing have happened to each of us that is just bizare to say the least.For example:When I was younger I was at summer camp with JROTC at Fort Knox and broke both ankles durring the confidence course durring the last day at camp and the same day while my parents came to pick me up my brother was at a friends and broke both of his ankles.Not sure if it happened at the exact same time but it was pretty odd for my parents to come home to see my twin wrapped up as well.Mind you neither of us were aware the other broke anything. As far as the feeling each others pain bond..it does occur to an extent. Pychic bond...we are probeably thinking along the same thing right now.I know when he is said,when he wants to talk..been odd occasions when,and I am not kidding,we know when the other just got laid.lol! I could really get into some details but I feel I may be reaching the too large post so I'll continue some more before I try to get some sleep....

....Our lives in itself are not identical..we are the others opposite just as much as we are alike.I know that sounds odd and I cant really describe well what I am trying to say. For example I have always been the ambitious one,the wild twin,and he was the quiet twin but that changed.Not to go into my life tale,but let me give you an example again: I moved out when I was 15 and did the wild teen thing..joined the military..did some traveling and just generally absorbed all I could from the world.My brother never was much for traveling(without me)and was content with holding down roots so to speak.Now that I am somewhat settled he seems to be doing the travel thing and seeking out.Now I know you can say well this is because he saw you do it..but where it gets odd is that alot of things I have never told him about,places Ive gone,things I have found cool..he has almost been to the exact same places,done/reacted the exact way I did. I guess what I am getting at is even though we are different somewhat in personality..we eventualy reach the exact same frame of mind.We have always been that way except for when we were infants and up till the middle of grade school..mom says then we did everything at the same time the minute we were brought together.We were premature so there was some complications and my brother had to stay in the hospital a few weeks longer than I but mom said the "fun" started when he came home.Even to this day talking to us together can be a little annoying because we will say the same thing at the same time...

reply to post by Kailassa


This is amazing and I've never heard anything like this before. I had two sets of twins as friends grewing up and I used to envy them their closeness but now my teenage daughter's best friends are twins. I've spoken with them about it and as cool as many of us think it must be (as I once did), they tell me stories about struggling to find themselves and their own identity. For these two, it's been very difficult. Whenever I'm talking to them about these things, I'm alwas left with the thought that they're like two halves of a whole.

Timidgal