/oss/taxonomy/term/5115/all en /oss/article/medical-student-contributors-did-you-know/how-have-twins-different-fathers <p>Yes, it is possible to have twins with different biological fathers. The scientific term for this anomaly is “heteropaternal superfecundation,” and it’s <i>super</i> cool. “Heteropaternal” signifies different fathers and “<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32343851/">superfecundation</a>” means the fertilization of two ova during the same menstrual cycle by separate mating actions. In other words, it is a phenomenon where a second egg is released, and two acts of sexual intercourse can lead to the fertilization of these eggs by two different sources of sperm.</p> Fri, 16 Jun 2023 15:19:35 +0000 Haleh Cohn 9547 at /oss /oss/article/medical-critical-thinking/how-nature-solved-problem-too-much-dna <p>When you consider how babies are made, you bump up against a basic math problem. No need for calculus here, or even the mental gymnastics of carrying the one. It’s a problem of doubling.</p> Thu, 16 Jun 2022 19:20:46 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 9139 at /oss /oss/article/general-science/identical-twins-are-not-identical <p>There is a common parental misunderstanding that arises when the term “identical twins” is paraded around. Identical twins are known scientifically as “monozygotic twins.” This Scrabble winner of a term refers to the fact that these types of twins arise when a single sperm fertilizes a single egg to form a zygote, and this zygote goes on to split into two masses of cells that give rise to the twins. By contrast, fraternal twins are essentially regular siblings that are born at the same time.</p> Thu, 21 Jan 2021 22:37:58 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 8572 at /oss