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Heritability is the proportion of variance caused by genetic factors of a specific trait in a population. [1] Falconer's formula is a mathematical formula that is used in twin studies to estimate the relative contribution of genetic vs. environmental factors to variation in a particular trait (that is, the heritability of the trait) based on ...
The power of twin designs arises from the fact that twins may be either identical (monozygotic (MZ), i.e. developing from a single fertilized egg and therefore sharing all of their polymorphic alleles) or fraternal (dizygotic (DZ), i.e. developing from two fertilized eggs and therefore sharing on average 50% of their alleles, the same level of genetic similarity found in non-twin siblings).
A twin study compares the concordance rate of identical twins to that of fraternal twins. This can help suggest whether a disease or a certain trait has a genetic cause. [3] Controversial uses of twin data have looked at concordance rates for homosexuality and intelligence. Other studies have involved looking at the genetic and environmental ...
The human twin birth rate in the United States rose 76% from 1980 through 2009, from 9.4 to 16.7 twin sets (18.8 to 33.3 twins) per 1,000 births. [5] The Yoruba people have the highest rate of twinning in the world, at 45–50 twin sets (90–100 twins) per 1,000 live births, [6] [7] [8] possibly because of high consumption of a specific type of yam containing a natural phytoestrogen which may ...
The use of twins can improve the statistical power of a genetic study by reducing the amount of genetic and/or environmental variability. [1] " Identical twins" (monozygotic (MZ) twins) share virtually all their genes with each other, and "fraternal twins" (dizygotic (DZ) twins), on average, share about 50% of their genes with each other (about the same amount of sharing as non-twin siblings).
Fraternal twins develop from two different eggs by two different sperm -- so they can often look slightly different. Although some, like Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, end up looking so much alike ...
A second and more common design is the twin study in which the similarity of identical and fraternal twins is used to estimate heritability. These studies can be limited by the fact that identical twins are not completely genetically identical, potentially resulting in an underestimation of heritability.
Contrary to popular belief, the Olsen twins are fraternal twins, not identical, so it wouldn't be odd for the two to look different as they get older. This may just be the tabloids' most recent ...