Twin Town
In this episode of the National Geographic, a
team of scientists and doctors explore the unique situation in the town of
Kodhini, India, where the amount of twins born per year is almost 6 times the
average rate. The documentary starts off
by stating that Kodhini is an average community in terms of population and
lifestyle. However, though there are
only 2000 families in the village, there are over 250 pairs of twins. The twins are all quite young, showing that
this unique characteristic of the village is quite young, a fact which is
supported by the elders of the village.
Out of the 250+ pairs of twins, 60 were born in the last 5 years. Many families have more than one pair of
twins.
I found this documentary to be very interesting
because I am an only child, and I have seen very few twins in my lifetime. As well, I am from India, which helps me
relate well to the people being featured in the documentary. One of the major topics discussed in this
documentary was the superstition being used to explain the occurrence of so
many twins. Many of the villagers
believe that this phenomenon is very lucky, and that this means their prayers are
being heard and they are being blessed.
However, there are also many doctors in this documentary that believe
the reason behind the large amount of twins is scientific. This brings up the class we had about
scientific literacy. Because of the lack
of education in some parts of rural India, many people rely on superstition to
find reasons for things they cannot explain.
Usually, there is a scientific explanation for things. However, this situation is interesting because
there is not enough evidence to give either side a strong advantage. Doctors are at a loss to explain why and how
there are so many twins in Kodhini.
Because this situation is local, scientists think that there is
something in the environment that has caused so many twins to be born. Researchers have tested possible factors,
such as the air, water, and crops, with no success.
This documentary encouraged me to look into how
twins were formed. Twins are formed in 2
possible ways. The first is when one egg
becomes fertilized, and then splits into two.
The second way to have twins is for two eggs to be fertilized
separately, but at the same time. Twins
produced from the first process of forming twins are known as identical twins,
since they usually look very alike.
Twins that come from the second process are known as fraternal twins,
and might have more diverse features. It
is more common for older mothers to have twins, however, the mothers in Kodhini
are young compared to most mothers. Females
with a family history of fraternal twins are more genetically likely to have
fraternal twins as well.
During the show, doctors state that the twin
tidal wave first started around 65 years ago.
This might mean that new technology might be the cause for so many twins
to be born in that area. For example, a
factory might be using some sort of chemical that only became widely used after
a certain type of technology was invented.
This might account for the fact that the mothers in Kodhini do not match
the typical traits of other mothers with twins worldwide. As well, the localness of this twin
phenomenon is supported by this theory because the chemical might have spread
to only one area. If this is the case,
it brings up the question of whether or not this chemical is safe, and if it
has any long term effects.
Once the cause for the abnormal amount of twins
has been identified, scientists can use it for many positive efforts. If the cause is genetic, then they will have
gone one step further in the vast field of human genetics. If the cause is from external factors, such
as the environment, then scientists can use this information in order to help
parents who might want (or not want) to have twins.
While
watching this documentary, I had to ensure its credibility. It was created by National Geographic, which
is a trusted source of scientific news.
The researchers, scientists, doctors, and other professionals it employs
are extremely competent, and are trusted worldwide by their colleagues. National Geographic has released many
informational series for kids and adults, is widely accepted by the public, and
is even in partnerships with certain government agencies. These facts lead me to believe that the
information presented in this documentary is legitimate, and that National
Geographic is a trusted source of information.
Bibliography: http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Twins_identical_and_fraternal
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